Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
by Ataraxie
Summary: When Ginny left him alone with their son, Harry Potter thought that he couldn't make it. But with the help of Hermione Granger, life goes on and love blossoms. Is it their happily ever after or is it too good to be true? HP/HG.
1. The Day She Left

**Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic**

_"Sometimes, our compass breaks  
_

_And our steady true north fades"_

**_Sleeping At Last - West_**

* * *

**J**ames was crying. His cries, loud and insistent, were a proof enough of his discomfort into his father's arms. Harry was doing his best to calm his son, rocking him at a slow pace, the same rhythm that Ginny usually used to appease their one-year-old little boy. Many times, the Boy-Who-Lived had seen his wife doing this, whispering words full of love and care next to James' ear, kissing his cheek when the need to show him how loved he was overwhelmed her. But now, he was alone in the middle of the living room, James into his arms, Harry tried to push these memories aside, focusing his attention on his son.

"What do you want, Jamie? You've already eaten less than one hour ago," he sighed.

Deep inside, he wanted nothing more than hearing something coming from James' mouth, to hear him saying what he really wanted. But at one-year-old, James didn't seem to be able to say something more than "dada" or a succession of onomatopoeias of any sort.

Two months had passed since the last day Harry had seen James Sirius Potter. Two months spent abroad, far from his family, far from Ginny. He had surely thought that things would have changed during these months, but, to be honest, he wouldn't have thought that his life would have changed so drastically during his absence. It's one thing to take important decisions, the kind of decisions that could change your life forever; it's another thing to see that people other than you could be at the origin of these decisions.

Obviously tired of crying, James started to fall asleep, to Harry's great relief. Without making any sound, he went to the child's room and put him into his crib, gently caressing his face before leaving the bedroom. He pushed the door behind him, not totally closing it; he wanted to be sure to hear any sound that James could make.

Like a zombie, he returned into the living room, looking around as if he was trying to see if anything had changed during his absence. But everything seemed to be at the same place than before, nothing seemed to be new, awkwardly enough. The photo frames were showing the same pictures, the same scenes that Harry had lived in the past: his wedding with Ginny Weasley, the first day on Earth of James. Even his only picture of his parents' was still here, next to a picture of a proud James showing his first tooth.

Slowly, he took the picture that Molly had taken on his wedding day and sat on the sofa, his hands slightly shaking. Harry couldn't take off his eyes of Ginny, the most beautiful bride that he had ever seen. She was truly stunning, with her long and curly hair falling freely onto her shoulders enhanced with a few flowers, her white dress fitting perfectly and flattering her silhouette in the most elegant way. Next to his wife, Harry was gazing at her, and the young man noticed how in love he was at this exact moment. It was more than love, actually: he was under her spell, eyeing the redhead intently, as if he was scared to see her slip out of his hands at the spur of the moment.

_And it was exactly what had just occurred._

**XxX**

"_Is somebody home?," Harry asked in a loud voice when he closed the entrance door behind him. _

_It was something amazing to finally be home after two months abroad, searching for criminals of all kind. During these two months, he had wondered more than once if he would be able to see them again, if he would survive this. But in the end, the team of well-trained Aurors had done a perfect job, and here he was: at home. _

_It was hard to hold back his smile of pure joy: knowing that James and Ginny were that close was enough to make him forget everything about his tiredness, everything about his need to collapse onto a bed and to bury his head in a pillow. _

"_We are here," Ginny's thin voice came from the kitchen, alongside with James' incessant babbling. _

_Harry hadn't seen his little boy during two long months, and all that he wanted was to take him into his arms and to hug him against his chest. But he knew that he couldn't do this right away when he saw that James was currently eating, seated into his highchair. The green-eyed man walked toward the two loves of his life and tousle James' hair before bending over to give his wife a kiss. Ginny turned her head at the last moment, giving him her cheek instead of the lips that he had been craving since a long time. _

"_I was hoping for a better welcome to be honest," Harry muttered, not knowing if he had to laugh or not. Maybe that Ginny didn't want to show any sign of intimacy in front of James after all. _

"_I'm busy, Harry," Ginny sighed, giving another spoon of mashed potatoes to James. _

"_I'm going to put my bag into the bedroom then." _

_His wife nodded, visibly not interested by what he'd just said, and Harry headed to their bedroom, frowning. What could have happened during his absence for Ginny to be so distant? She was not this kind of woman, cold and obscure; on the contrary, she was a funny, caring, and friendly woman. _

_When he entered into their bedroom, the first thing that he noticed was the lack of shoes in front of the dressing-room, next to the bedroom. Usually, Ginny left her high-heels shoes there, much to Harry's dismay. Preoccupied, for a reason unknown to him, he went to the dressing-room, his heart beating faster into his chest. Swiftly, he opened the doors and saw that the wardrobe was empty. Well, it wasn't totally empty, since some of Harry's clothes were still hanging, his suits mostly. _

_For a second, Harry was sure that he forgot to breathe. Things were spinning in front of his eyes, and he couldn't help but remember about Ginny's cold attitude toward him when he had arrived, minutes prior. _

_What was happening? _

_Harry left the bedroom, his bag still into his right hand. When he returned into the kitchen, Ginny raised a surprise eyebrow. _

"_Weren't you supposed to put your bag into the bedroom?" _

"_Aren't __your clothes supposed to still be in the dressing?," Harry retorted, not even knowing why he had said this at this exact moment. There were so many other ways to say it, so many other things that he had thought about, but among all of them, it was this sentence that his brain had wanted to say out loud. _

_The embarrassment that he had seen into Ginny's eyes at this moment should have been enough for Harry to understand that it was true, after all: she wanted to leave him. _

_Like in a dream, he looked at his wife while she was taking James from his highchair, and continued to do so when she put him into his playpen. When she turned to him, urging him to go into the living room in order to speak freely without being disturbed by James, Harry did what she was silently asking for, his right hand still clenched around the handle of his bag. _

"_What is going on? Do you plan to leave with James?," Harry suddenly asked in a hoarse voice when they were finally alone. _

"_Not at all!," Ginny retorted in a snap, her long and red hair falling on both sides of her face. _

"_Well, since you obviously packed your things, I thought–" _

"_I don't plan to leave with James," Ginny said in a calm voice, crossing her arms on her chest. _

_Harry let out a heavy sigh, visibly relieved by this answer. _

"_Then why did you pack your things? You scared me more than I can admit it, Ginny." _

"_I don't plan to leave with James," she repeated. "James is going to stay with you." _

_Harry's green eyes were wide open, and, if someone was closed enough, he could have heard his slow and deep breathing, contrasting with the stress that he was feeling inwardly. His bag falling at his feet made a loud sound, and Ginny almost jumped out of surprise. Harry blinked a few times, and the information seemed to eventually reach his brain. Ginny was leaving._

"_You are leaving us," Harry said, his voice as steady as it could be in such an intense moment. _

_His eyes searched for hers, searched for a reason behind all of this. But Ginny looked down, her hands clenching on the fabric of her pale pink dress. Harry saw her biting her lower lip, like a child caught while doing a stupid thing. _

"_You ar–," Harry repeated once again, taking a step toward her._

"_I am leaving, yes!," his wife cut him off, finally saying out loud what Harry had feared to hear since the beginning. _

_He fell onto the sofa, not searching for her eyes any longer: he had had her answer, after all. Both of them remained quiet, not wanting to put some words on the situation that they were currently living. Putting words onto it would be like making it real, and it was the last thing that Harry wanted at this exact moment. _

_More than five minutes passed, and, eventually, Ginny walked toward him and sat on the sofa next to him, taking care to put some distance between their two shaking bodies–but not for the same reasons. She breathed calmly, sometime hearing James babbling while playing with his toys, thinking about what she could say to Harry, to her husband. They had been married since three years, and she had thought about leaving more than once. Not because she didn't love him anymore, of course not. How could she stop loving someone as caring and gentle like Harry Potter? She had loved him since the first day, she had learned to know him even if the circumstances hadn't been ideal, and she had accepted to marry him when he had proposed, four years ago. She could almost remember the things that she had felt that day, the joy, the laugh, the tears. Harry had kissed her more than once this day, showing her how in love he was. Ginny had felt special since the day when Harry Potter had put his green and vivid eyes on her, and she had thought that he could give her the life that she had craved for since so long. _

_Harry had given her a child, a beautiful son of whom she was so proud of: James. His bright green eyes had been enough to make her yield, to make her put the things that she truly wanted aside during a year. But now, it wasn't enough any more. _

"_I've received an opportunity that I can't refuse, Harry," Ginny whispered, wondering if she should put her hand onto his knee, as a sign of understanding. Of course, she knew that what she was currently saying was despicable to Harry's eyes, but she had waited for so long into his shadow. At twenty-six year-old, she wanted to start something new, she wanted to be known by her own name, Ginny Weasley-Potter. _

"_What kind of... opportunity?," Harry managed to ask, even if he could feel that his throat was dry, dryer than it had never been in the past, despite all the things that he had went through since his younger years._

"_The Holyhead Harpies are offering me a-year-training." _

_Quidditch. It had always been Quidditch to Ginny's eyes. Ironically enough, Harry had always thought that he would have been the one playing Quidditch between them, the one who would have a professional career as a Seeker. And here they were, sitting on a sofa, separated by a few inches, talking about Ginny's future career and departure. _

_Harry dared to give her a side-glance, even if, inwardly, he wanted to leave the __room, to leave the house that they had taken so many time to find, the house where all their memories were gathered. He just wanted to run from this place, to forget about everything that had came from Ginny's mouth from the moment he had put his foot in his house; in their house. _

"_You accepted," Harry stated, knowing how impulsive Ginny could be sometime. _

_Her silence was an answer on its own. _

"_And what about James?," Harry went on, finally talkative, more than he thought he could be. _

"_James will be with you during this year. Look, Harry...," Ginny sighed. "I know how hard this decision must look like, I know that you are mad at m–" _

"_You know nothing, Ginny," Harry hissed, shaking his head. "You just decided to leave me, to leave us without even talking to me in the first place!" _

"_Would you have accepted it if I had asked you? I don't think so." _

"_You don't think so?!," he raised his voice. "You didn't even think about asking me my opinion about it. You just decided that it was your decision to make; you didn't think for a second that I would like to talk to you about it before you accept this training." _

"_And did you ask for my opinion when you decided to become an Auror?," Ginny snapped at him visibly irritated by his words._

"_Are you serious here?" _

"_Of course I am. You decided to become an Auror, to risk your life twice a year, and I didn't have my word to say in this decision." _

"_I chose this career years ago, Ginny!," Harry shouted. "You decided to marry me despite this, and I think that it is enough for me to say that you weren't that reluctant to have an Auror as a husband." _

_He couldn't believe it. She could have reproached him many things; but this... This was the last thing that Harry would have thought about. _

"_But what about my dreams, Harry? I am doing a job that I hate, I am looking after James everyday because you are not here, you are never here," she started to shout at him, raising from the sofa. "I didn't think that my life would be like this when I married you, Harry Potter. I thought that you would be a supportive husband, in all my choices..."_

"_I would have done it if you had talked to me about it! You can't take this kind of decision alone, for heaven's sake, we are married and we have a son..." _

"_We have a son, yes, and I guess that it's now your turn to look after him," she continued in a softer voice. "I've already accepted, Harry. I'm leaving tomorrow." _

_Harry's breath was now erratic; he tried to calm down, gathering all the forces that he had left. _

"_Why tomorrow?," he asked, tired by this discussion that seemed to have no issue. _

"_I wanted to talk to you first," Ginny admitted, lowering her eyes not to meet his. _

_Harry couldn't help but let out a cynical laugh. _

"_It is so nice of you, Gin. Do you plan to come home on the weekends to see James, at least?," he asked, but he perfectly knew that it wasn't possible during a Quidditch professional training._

"_I don't think so," she whispered, suddenly ashamed by her decision. "But I know that he'll be fine with you. And if you need something, my mum will be happy to help." _

_Harry ran a tired hand over his face, not embarrassed by his glasses any more: he had decided to wear contact lenses years ago. _

"_I see that I am the last person aware of this choice of yours. You've already thought about everything, haven't you?" _

"_I'm sorry, Harry. But it's just a matter of a year." _

"_It's a year spent far from your son," Harry hissed. "You don't understand how hard is it to be far from your family, Ginny, and I hope that you're not going to regret it, I truly do." _

_She nodded, as if she wanted to show to him that yes, she knew exactly what she was leaving behind. _

"_I'm not giving up on my family... I'm not giving up on you," she muttered, taking a step toward him, her voice hoarse. _

_Harry shook his head and headed to the bedroom, not looking at her any longer._

"_For now, I don't even want to talk to you, Ginny. I can't even... All that I'm asking you is to leave tonight. Say goodbye to James, and just... leave." _

_He closed the door behind him, taking care to magically lock the door, not wanting to see Ginny anymore. Her long and red mane, her bright brown eyes, her fleshy lips... She was all that he had ever wanted, and now, she was gone. Even if she said that she still wanted to be with him, he couldn't help but think that their relationship as he knew it was over, definitely over. How could he trust a woman who could take this kind of decisions without even talking about it with her husband in the first place? _

_When he heard the characteristic sound of the entrance door twenty minutes later, Harry decided that he had to take care of James. His son was crying, desperate after his mother's departure._

"_We'll be fine, Jamie, everything will be fine," Harry whispered to his son's, kissing his forehead. _

_While doing so, he started to think about everything that he had to care of from this moment on. His job, James, the house... _

_He was now a single father. _

* * *

**This story has a strange history, really. It was supposed to be a Bill/Hermione; then a Draco/Hermione; for the first time, I didn't want to write a Severus/Hermione. I'm working on it since March, and I hope that you'll like it. **

**I plan to post a chapter/a week, and I hope that you'll be receptive to this story, which is my first attempt at Harmony. :)**


	2. To Live With a Son

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, except the plot.**

* * *

**Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic**

_"Stage by stage, I tear apart_

_If brokenness is a form of art_

_I must be a poster child prodigy"_

**_Sleeping At Last - Neptune_**

* * *

The day after found Harry laying on his back on his bed. He hadn't even taken the time to remove the sheets or his shoes for that matter. He was just here, his green eyes fixed on the ceiling, waiting for something to come. Inwardly, he still had the little hope to see Ginny pushing the bedroom's door, jumping on the bed like she used to do at the beginning of their relationship, and kissing him until he begged for mercy. She would then lie on the bed with him, and they would talk about their future over and over.

The _future_... Harry Potter had always thought that he would grow old with Ginny Weasley by his side. He had thought that she would stay with him until the end, that they would have so many children that it would be even hard to count them. Their lives had taken this road, with James' birth one year ago. But it was now a memory, a silly desire that a little boy who hadn't had the opportunity to live with his parents had cherished with all his heart.

Now, three years after their wedding, Ginny was gone. Oh, Harry was well-aware that this was supposed to be _only_ a matter of a year; his wife had been pretty insistent about this point. Despite this, he couldn't help but feel betrayed by this sudden decision, a decision that Ginny had taken without even asking his opinion about it. She was right, though: it was highly possible that he wouldn't have take it nicely. But he would have tried to live with it, one way or another. But now, it was different; Ginny had showed him that his opinion wasn't important to her eyes. Hell, Harry was almost sure that all the Weasley family had been aware of her decision long before him.

He cursed through gritted teeth, not wanting to wake James up. James had slowly calmed down after Ginny's departure, and Harry had spent many hours in his room, looking at him while the moon was shinning over the little boy. He had thought about every possibility: quitting his job in order to look after his son, hiring a baby-sitter, and even leaving him with Molly during the day. He was sure that Ginny's mum would be more than happy to help.

Harry loved the Weasleys; he had loved them since the beginning of his Hogwarts' years. They had been a second family to him, replacing both the parents that he hadn't had the opportunity to grow up with. Molly had adopted him right away, while his knowledge of the Muggle World had made Arthur Weasley growing fond of him. Ron had always been like a brother to him, despite their rows from time to time. And even now, while they didn't have so many time to spend together, Harry knew that their friendship was far from being over. All that the green-eyed man wanted at this exact moment was to meet his old friend in a bar, and to talk about all that had just happened to his couple the previous day. Would Ron take side with his own sister or would he stand with his old friend who had done anything wrong to lead to this situation?

Then, a cry. Harry groaned, but eventually got up, rubbing his eyes to erase any sign of tiredness. He had even forgotten that James was an early riser, a behaviour that his son surely didn't hold from him.

"I think that someone needs a diaper change," Harry mumbled when he took James into his arms, smelling his little body.

What did he need to change a baby? Obviously he had done it before, but two months had passed since his last day at home, and he noticed that Ginny had changed some little–but oh so important– things in the baby's room.

"Don't you want to help me, James? Where would your mother hide the diapers and the baby's wipes in your opinion?," Harry asked, mostly to himself, but also to catch his son's attention. The latter was looking at him with his big green eyes, slightly amused by his father's voice.

"And here they are," he went on while opening the first drawer of the changing station. Five minutes later, James was ready to leave the baby's room, his little hands clenched around his father's hair.

"I don't even know what you eat in the morning...," Harry sighed, heading to the kitchen to see if Ginny had left any note about James' food. Obviously, since he had eaten some mashed potatoes the day prior, James wouldn't be pleased with just a feeding-bottle.

"Do you want some bread and apricot jam? With a bottle of milk right after?"

James nodded enthusiastically, and Harry smiled for the first time of the day. How had he done to spend two other months far from him? All in all, he had spent four months abroad; four long months. He could have witnessed James' first word–which was, awkwardly enough, _daddy_–, or just spent some time with his son: instead, he had pursued some criminals. Slowly, he put James into his highchair, and served him. He stayed close to him, observing his son while he was taking the slice of bread and jam into his thin hand. From time to time, James was staring at him with a surprise look, not used to see his father in the morning. Usually, the first person that he saw was his mother, Ginny.

"Mum is just... She will be home soon, Jamie, don't worry about it," Harry whispered to his son's attention, and the little boy gave him a smile before doing his best to eat his breakfast.

Harry was lost in his thoughts when an owl entered through the window, eliciting a cry of pure joy and entertainment from James. Frowning–and above all, fearing that it was a letter from the Ministry urging him to come to work–, Harry freed the owl from the heavy parchment attached to its leg, and took some crumbs from James' plate as a treat for the owl. It left as swiftly as it came in, and Harry unfolded the piece of parchment.

"_Harry, _

_I am sorry about last night. I shouldn't have talked to you like that, and I realise it now. You were right: I accepted your career years ago, I have any right to hold it against you. But you have to understand my point of view too. During years, I lived like Harry Potter's wife, and, I am not going to deny it: I like it. I like the fact of being your wife, I love above all the fact of having you by my side, in every situation. During parties, during family dinners... during our time together, just the two of us. _

_You are the best thing I've ever had, and you gave me something priceless: our son. He is my pride and joy, and I love him with all my heart. But I thought that his birth would have changed this side of you that I am not fond of: your love for adventure, your incessant travels, your behaviour toward danger... Well, I know that you always pay attention to whatever could happen during your mission, but you have to understand me: what would I do if something happened to you? I have no career, just a miserable job at the corner shop. I thought that it would have been enough, with you providing for our family, but now that James is into the equation, I can't think like that any longer. _

_This opportunity, I won't have another one like that in a few years, and you know it, Harry. You know that it is my last chance to make myself a name into the Wizarding World, to have the opportunity to be someone else than Ginny Potter, the wife of the Boy-Who-Lived. I am sure that it is something that you can understand. _

_I am terribly sorry if I hurt you: I've never wanted to do such a thing. I know that it seems to be very selfish of me, and I am not going to deny it; it is incredibly selfish no matter how hard I'm trying to justify myself, and I hope that you'll be able to forgive me one day. _

_I am currently at the Burrow, I am going to leave later in the afternoon. If you want to come and to talk to me, be free to do so. I'll be more than happy to see you one last time before my departure._

_I love you, Harry; I wouldn't have married you if I didn't. But sometimes, we have to take some hard decisions, and it is exactly what I am doing right now. _

_I hope to see you today. I love you more than you think. _

_Ginny" _

The parchment into his right hand, Harry stayed still during what seemed to be minutes. He read the letter once more, and noticed the places where the ink was blurry. Obviously, Ginny hadn't lived their little argument very well. Harry sighed and sat on a chair, putting the parchment back onto the dining room. James was staring at him, completely silent, as if he had understood that something was wrong with his father.

And it was exactly what it seemed to be: something was wrong with Harry Potter. Frowning, he took back the parchment and began to read it again. During his first lecture, he had felt something strange; he had felt like Ginny had been right all alone, and that it was him who had forbidden her to live the life that she had expected to live during her younger years. He had the impression that if she was unhappy with the life that she was living with him by her side, it was his own fault, it was because he didn't see that she needed to do something with her life, _something useful_ for their couple, for their family.

But now, as he looked back at her words, things weren't that clear to Harry. Ginny had avoided the true problem there, the only thing that he hadn't been pleased to notice: the fact that she had done everything in his back, without even talking about her dreams with him in the first place. For years, he had thought that they were sharing a healthy relationship, mostly based on trust. Harry wasn't a jealous man, or someone who wanted to dictate to his wife what to do. It was almost the contrary: they were both free to do whatever they wanted, the only limit being not to hurt the other person.

And Ginny had just hurt him badly.

A part of him wanted to go to the Burrow, to take her into his arms and to have the promise that everything would be alright, that they would find a way to be strengthened by this year or separation. But at the same time, Harry was to proud to give up so easily. Ginny had been the only one who had decided to leave, after all.

His eyes left the piece of parchment and he looked up at James. His son's head was slightly tilted on the side, and Harry smiled at him: he'd just realised what he needed to do.

**XxX**

Hermione Granger woke up into her own bed for the first time for too long. She didn't even try to hide her smile of satisfaction: nobody was going to look at her anyway.

Being in June had its advantages: it was the end of the school year, and she had left Hogwarts the previous day, ending her employment contract as a Transfiguration teacher. Minerva McGonagall, the woman that had helped her tremendously during these last years, had done her best to keep her into the professors team, but Hermione had politely refused to teach one more year.

"I've done it for quite a long time, Professor McGonagall, and now I think that it's better for me to leave," she had explained with a smile, while her former professor had sighed.

"We have been colleagues for six years, Hermione, you can call me by my first name. And I have to insist: I did not find you a good successor for the upcoming year."

"You will, I have no doubt about it. I really want to go back to London, to live the things that I didn't have the opportunity to do while working at Hogwarts... It was an amazing experience, _Minerva_. But at almost twenty-seven, I want to do something else with my life."

"Oh, my dear girl, I totally understand. Please forgive me, I did not want to pressure you to do something that you do not want to do any longer. I hope you the best, Hermione, you deserve it."

And then she had left Hogwarts, promising that she'd come back often. Hermione wanted to take advantage of these holidays to find another job, at the Ministry maybe, or at a totally different place. During years, she had thought about opening her own bookshop, and it was a good moment to realise this dream. While teaching at Hogwarts, she had been able to save a lot of money, and it was the good moment to use her savings.

The little flat that her parents had bought for her two years ago was the perfect place to Hermione's eyes: with its central location, she would be able to visit London without using some barbaric means of transport such as Apparition.

Hermione stretched lazily before getting up, not knowing at all that this day would change her life forever.

**XxX**

Harry cleared his throat, his eyes on the phone. Arthur Weasley had insisted to install one of these in their house, and he had done the same at the Burrow. Ginny had been reluctant to do so in the first place, but Harry had accepted right away. It was a mean of communication that he knew well, after all; the Dursleys had more than one in their house.

For some reason, he was feeling nervous about making this phone-call. Not that he was scared to hear the feminine voice on the phone; he was simply scared to hear her thoughts about what he was about to say to her. Would she freak out? Would she explain how crazy his idea was? Harry took another deep breath, while James was seated on the carpet, playing with his bricks, and composed the telephone number of the person he needed to talk to.

_Beep_.

Maybe that she wasn't here any longer, despite what she had told to him before.

_Beep_.

He ran a nervous hand into his short hair, thinking that it was by far one of the worst ideas that he had ever had.

_Beep_.

It was a sign from heaven, it has to be: he just needed to hang up, and everything would be alright. He just needed t–

"Hello?," said a sleepy voice.

Harry held his breath, not knowing what to say. He wanted to talk to her, of course, but at the same time, everything was spinning into his head, overwhelming her with so many informations, so many things that he needed to say to her. He had to talk about what had happened last night, he craved to ask her how was she, he was longing to ask her to be there for him.

"Hi... Hermione," he eventually said, trying to look happy on the phone.

"Harry!," she exclaimed, suddenly totally awake. "How are you? I haven't talked to you since... Wow, I can't even remember the last time we– damn, I am so happy to hear your voice."

Harry smiled. Hermione had always been like this: talkative, with so many things to say, so many things to share. That was the reason why she was the person that he needed right now.

"I am really happy to hear your voice too. But to be honest, we saw each other at Christmas, it's not that long ago."

"Well, it's been six months, which is quite a long time. For that instance, I'm sure that _little_ James isn't little anymore," she laughed.

"You're right," Harry shared her laugh full of happiness. "I was thinking about you actually... Do you want to come over, sometime? To look back on the good memories..."

He chewed his lower lip, anxious about her answer. He shouldn't have lied to her, he knew it. But how could he talk about something like Ginny's departure on the phone? He needed his best friend next to him, _physically_ next to him during this hard time. Hermione was his crutch, the person that could listen to him, yell at him, give him advice at the same time; she had always been, even if Ginny had slowly taken her place as his confidante over the years.

"Of course. What about this week-end?"

Harry counted into his head. Saturday was three days from now, and he didn't know if he could wait until then.

"Mmh, well... Are you available today? I'll cook something for dinner if you want," he asked, doing his best to hide his hope.

Hermione seemed to think about it during a few seconds, but she eventually accepted.

"Alright, I'm yours for tonight. But it's just because I'm back from Hogwarts and that I am too lazy to do the shopping," she explained in an amused voice. "Eight o'clock, your place?"

"Perfect. We'll see you tonight then."

She hang up, and Harry realised that he had said "_we_" instead of "_I_". It was one habit that he needed to forget, at least for a year. With a sight, he looked down at James who was still playing with his bricks.

"Well, little boy, since you're here, you'll be my other half from now on," Harry mumbled before starting to play with his son.

* * *

**I am more than pleased by your reaction to my first Harmony fic.** Your reviews were one of the best that I've ever received, so thank you**: _Linda, snowymkc, starboy454, and an anonymous guest. _**

But I also want to give a special thank to the three persons who took the time to write a developped review about what they are expecting from this story, what they already think about it too:

- **anotherboarduser**: I'm glad to see that you liked Ginny's character here. I don't plan to bash her. She's got her reasons, and even if the form isn't very good, we can't really blame her for wanting to achieve her dreams.

- **Jharry1960**: Your thoughts about where this story could go are amazing, and your development about Harry's possible choices is the best. You are right all along, but to my opinion, I think that Harry is going to continue to work. For how long, I still don't know, but we'll see it later.

- **The Dragon and the Rose**: I'm pleased to see that you appreciate my efforts in doing something "_new_". If you've already read this chapter, you now know that your development about Ginny was almost 100% true. ;)

**I hope that you all liked this chapter as well. I said that I planned to post a chapter a week, but since the first chapters are already written... Moreover, I am currently looking for a Beta for this story, so if you're ready to correct my mistakes (grammar mostly, since I'm French), if you've got a lot of time, if you want to give me your opinion about my work before everyone else, please leave me a review or write me a PM, and we'll see if we can work together to make this story a better one.**


	3. To Tell Her The Truth

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot. I still don't have a Beta for this story.  
**

* * *

**Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic**

_"And when I'm lonely, well I know I'm gonna be_  
_ I'm gonna be the man who's lonely without you."_

**_Sleeping At Last - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) _ Cover  
_**

* * *

Hermione arrived at the Potter's house a little before eight o'clock. It was usual coming from her: she didn't like to be late, and she always managed to arrive early. Some people hated it, but she knew that Harry and Ginny would not be unhappy to see her that soon. Why did Harry say that he would cook, by the way? Usually, Ginny took care of everything, knowing that Harry wasn't a really good cook. Hermione wouldn't deny it: she had tasted Harry's meal one day, and it was... well, far from being the most tasteful think that she'd ever eaten.

Smiling at this thought, Hermione hesitated for a second in front of the door. Was it a good idea to ring the bell or to knock at the door? Maybe that James was still asleep... She decided to knock, and she quickly heard the characteristic sound of footsteps coming toward the entrance door. Suddenly, the door flung opened, and Hermione's eyes encountered Harry's green ones.

"Please, come. It's so nice to see you," he greeted her, and kissed her on the cheek. "How was Hogwarts this year?"

"It hadn't changed too much since our last year, to be honest," Hermione answered, before taking a step forward to let Harry close the door behind her. "The professors are still brilliant, and MacGonagall is doing a good job as the headmistress. Filch is still noisy, but I don't think that you were expecting a change coming from him."

She laughed, but Harry just smiled in return. Then, he invited her to follow him into the living room.

"Well, right, I don't have a lot of hope when it comes to him," he eventually said.

"Where is James?," Hermione suddenly asked, almost cutting Harry off.

"He is fast asleep in his crib. My little boy had quite a long day, if you want to know everything."

Hermione sat on the couch, following Harry with her eyes as he went to the open-plan kitchen to take two glasses and a bottle of wine. He had changed, she noticed. Of course, he wasn't the teenager she used to know since a long time, but she realised that, even in six months, Harry Potter had changed; he seemed to be more mature than ever... and a little more taciturn too. Hermione frowned: when she had heard his voice in the morning, her best friend had seemed to be cheerful, as if his life was amazing. How could it be any different? He had a beautiful wife and an adorable son, with a job that everybody envied him. From the young and abused child, Harry had became a man full of confidence with a life that everybody wanted to have.

Harry came back in the living room quite soon, and he handled her a glass of wine. They clinked their glasses and started to drink in silence; a silence that Hermione quickly broke.

"So, Harry? I don't think that I came here to look at you in the eyes while sipping this absolutely delicious wine–I'd gladly take its name later, by the way–," she chuckled. "How is your life going? If I remember well, you were supposed to go on a mission earlier this year, weren't you?"

Harry gave her a little smile, and looked back at his glass of wine. "Exactly. I've returned yesterday. It went well," he explained, "and everything is under control now. I was in the south of Italy, but, truth to be told, I didn't have a lot of time to enjoy its beautiful landscapes."

"I went to Italy two years ago," Hermione remembered. "It was nice, even if I didn't have a lot of time to enjoy the summer there."

"Really?," Harry grinned. "Aren't you supposed to be in holidays for three months when you're a teacher?"

"Don't make fun of myself. And I've got some news for you by the way. Ready to hear it?"

Harry nodded, amused by Hermione's superior and funny air. She straightened her back and put the glass of wine back onto the coffee table, emphasizing the importance of her declaration.

"Enlighten me," the young man said to urge her to spread her news.

"It was my last year at Hogwarts."

"Mmh, can you repeat it?" Harry raised a surprised eyebrow.

"You heard me well, Mr. Potter. I quit my job."

"But I thought...," he began.

"...that I liked being a teacher," Hermione finished with a smile. "Yes, you're right. Being a teach is something amazing, it really is. I had so much fun at Hogwarts during these last fews years, and it was hard for me to make this decision, even if I didn't take too long to do so."

"Are you saying that you woke up one day and decided that it was the end?"

"Not exactly... I don't think that it is possible to make a life-changing decision in a heartbeat, even more when it is as important as a career. I realise now that it was something that I was thinking about since a long time, but I wasn't prepared to make the big jump yet, you know."

Harry slowly nodded, and Hermione had the impression that he was thinking about something else.

"Mmh, still with me, Mr. Potter?," she asked playfully when she noticed that he wasn't looking at her any longer. It seemed to be enough to take him out of his torpor.

"Oh, yes. Sorry Hermione. What were you saying?"

"Nothing important... But now, I don't know what to do. I've got all this free time to look for a job, or to think about opening my own bookshop, who knows..."

"I totally see you owning a bookshop. You're the most amazing bookw–"

"Don't. Say. This. Word," Hermione interrupted him in a laugh. "Really, Harry, I am not a bookworm. I just... love to improve myself."

"Don't play with words," he smiled. "We both totally know that you're a boo–"

"_Harry_ _Potter!_," Hermione almost shouted out, doing her best to hide her amusement.

"Well, fair enough. You're not a bookworm," he finally gave up with a grin.

"I told you not to say this word," Hermione rolled her eyes. "Damn it, Potter, you're so annoying."

"That's why you like me, don't deny it," he retorted with a wink.

"Well, if that pleases you..."

"Going back to your project," Harry resumed in a more serious voice, "I'm sure that you can manage to run your own business. And if you need some money to begin, I can totally help."

Hermione shook her head. "I didn't come here to ask for your money, Harry. I can handle myself, don't worry about it. Thank you but... no thank you," she said with a smile.

She knew that Harry would have offered her his help; he was like that, always wanting to help his friends, to do the best for his family.

"Alright, but if you need anything..."

"... _I will tell you_, yes. I've heard this sentence so many times before that I don't think that it's useful for you to say it anymore," Hermione said, amused.

"I mean it, Hermione."

"_I know_. I don't want to flatter you, but I know how caring, how helpful you are. You were like that back in Hogwarts, and you haven't changed since then. Fifteen years have passed, and you're still the same person. I am truly grateful to have a friend like you."

Hermione wasn't the kind of person to open herself so easily, and Harry just nodded, not really knowing what to say back.

"Don't be so embarrassed," the young woman said quickly, taking the bottle of wine to get another drink. "I'm sure that Ginny would agree with me. Where is she, by the way? Taking a long bath like she is used to?"

Seconds before, Harry was embarrassed because of Hermione's compliments; now he was embarrassed because he didn't know how to tell her the truth. "_Ginny is gone_". It was a simple sentence, wasn't it? He just had to say these three words, these words full of meaning, and it would be over. She would open her mouth out of surprise, would say how sorry she was for him, and would ask him if he needed any help. He would say "_no, thank you_", like she had said when he had offered her his financial help, and everything would go back to normal.

But what normality was? To act like nothing had happened? To hide his head under a pillow not to see that his wife had gone, the Ginny's place in the bed next to him would remain empty until next year?

Awkwardly enough, Harry hadn't thought about this moment, this exact moment when Hermione would ask where Ginny was. He had thought about the dinner, about the things that he could say to her–his job, how he would handle the situation with James–, he had considered almost everything. But this part, the harder one... He just wanted to forget about the origin of his solitude and just wanted to focus on the _consequences_ of Ginny's departure.

"Harry?"

Hermione's worried voice took him out of his daydream, and he blinked a few times.

"What were you saying?," he asked her, postponing the fatal moment.

"Ginny...," Hermione explained, frowning. "You know... your wife, the petite woman with red hair. Quite stunning if you want my opinion," she went on with a smile. "Where is she?"

_It's time, Harry, you have to say it_, his inner voice whispered inwardly, urging him to say the inevitable. Saying it aloud would make everything real, he knew it, and that was the reason why he didn't want to do it. He opened his mouth several times, and closed it right away. Hermione raised an eyebrow, but didn't utter a word; she was waiting for him to take the plunge, as if she knew exactly what was going on. Eventually, Harry did it: he said the truth.

"Ginny is gone."

* * *

**Alright. Short chapter, but I wanted to end it here. Again, thank you for your amazing reviews to this story. I like to read from you, to have your opinion about what I write, about what I share with you. I'm sorry if I didn't answer to you personnally yet, but I've got two really important oral exams next Monday, and I am quite stressed about it. But don't worry: I'll answer to all of you as soon as it's over. Until then, please know that you are all _amazing_! **

**I hope that you liked this chapter, even if it is a short one. Don't be shy and let me know what you think about it. :)**

**PS: **I just want to answer to **Goundry**'s review. Well, I didn't think about it when I started to write this story to be honest. To me, when you're involved in a high-level training, you can't go back to your house every weekend so easily. I plan to let Ginny come home for Christmas, but that's all actually. Wizards have Floo and everything, sure, but well, sometimes to be the best, you have to live in a "bubble". After this year, of course, when she'll be in a Tournament, things will be different, but for now, it's not that simple, at least in my point of view. I hope that you'll find my answer satisfying. :D


	4. Discussion Over a Few Glasses of Wine

**Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic**

_"You were the one  
You were the one who picked me  
What have we become  
Now have we begun our ending?"_

**_Kina Grannis - Winter_**

* * *

"_Ginny is gone._"

Hermione blinked several times, searching for Harry's elusive look. Ginny was gone. She frowned, like she always used to do when she was focused into something important. And, Merlin's beard, this information was important, in the worst way. The heavy silence into the living room was just broken from time to time by Harry's slight cough, as if he wanted to distract his best friend from the obvious. Ginny was gone.

She continued to stare at him, not really knowing what to do. Did he expect her to ask him what happened? Hermione didn't want to do or say something that could hurt Harry, but at the same time, she wanted to be here for him. He had asked her to come, and she realised now that it was because of Ginny's departure: he wanted to confide in her.

"What happened?," she eventually asked in a soft voice, not wanting to force him to do something that he didn't want to do. This question was enough, at least for now.

Harry shrugged, but Hermione understood that it was because he didn't know what to say, not because he didn't know what had happened. Of course, he knew.

"She decided to leave to begin her Quidditch training."

"Well... That's quite unexpected to me, but I didn't have the opportunity to talk to her since Christmas, in my defence," Hermione retorted. "But you knew about her plans, right? Isn't it a good thing for her?"

Harry giggled nervously, and Hermione bit her lower lip, knowing that she had said something that she shouldn't have. He then bent over to fill his glass of wine a second time, doing the same with Hermione's glass. Seconds later, Harry's glass was already empty.

"Yes, it's awesome, isn't it? She decided to leave her one-year-old son with his father for a year. This is an amazing decision, really," he finished in a whisper, before taking the bottle of wine for the third time. But this time, Hermione put her hand onto his arm, urging him to let go of the bottle of alcohol.

"Harry, please," she almost begged him. "I understand that you're angry... and sad, but drinking is not a good solution tonight. Talk to me."

Harry's hand lingered on the bottle for a few moments, but eventually, he let go of it in a sigh.

"I don't even know where to begin," he mumbled, looking at an invisible point straight in front of him.

"Just tell me what happened. When did she leave?"

"Yesterday," Harry slowly started after clearing his throat. "I came home late in the afternoon; she was feeding James in the dining room. I realised that something was wrong, Hermione, as if... as if something had happened during my absence, something had changed in her attitude too. She seemed to be quite distant, which is quite surprising, knowing how exuberant she is sometime."

He stopped at this moment, and even if Hermione wanted to agree with him–Ginny had never been a distant woman at all–she didn't say a single word: it was his moment, and she didn't want to interfere. She just waited for him to resume his story, which he did moments later.

"I went to our room to put my bag down, and... I don't know why, I really don't, but I had this bad feeling... I decided to check the dressing-room and then I saw that her things were missing. You don't even know what I thought at this exact moment. I felt betrayed, lost and confused at the same time," he went on, still avoiding Hermione's look. "Then we talked and... and I realised that she wanted to leave. _No_," he continued when he saw that Hermione wanted to say something. "I didn't realise that she wanted to leave, it was so much more than that: she had already decided to leave, and my opinion wasn't important to her."

"But how can it be possible? I mean, she probably talked about it with you before taking this decision, didn't she?"

"That's the best part," Harry answered, pursing his lips as if he was doing his best to hide a smile of pure irony. "I had no clue that she wanted to pursue her Quidditch dream until she told me that she was leaving. That's the reason why I said that my opinion wasn't important in her decision process; she knew from the start, maybe from the beginning of the year since the auditions for the Harpies always take place around February, that she wanted to leave, and she didn't even think, not even for a second, that I wanted to give her my opinion about it..."

"Maybe that she didn't want to upset you before your mission...," Hermione tried, but inwardly, she knew that it would have been a pity excuse.

"You're too optimistic, Hermione," Harry almost laughed.

"And how are you doing, Harry? What do you plan to do now, concerning James, and... everything else."

He took the bottle of wine once again, but Hermione didn't do anything to stop him this time.

"You want to know the truth?," he asked her, his glass of wine close to his lips. "I have no fucking clue about what I need to do. I know that I have to take care of James, of course, since he is my son. But about my relationship with my wife... I don't even want to think about it for now."

Hermione nodded, understanding perfectly well what dilemma Harry was facing at this moment. He was totally in love with Ginny, and he had been since such a long time, but now, he was just blind with all this anger that he had toward her, all this resentment.

"You really didn't know that she wanted to leave, did you?," Hermione whispered, feeling her best friend's confusion.

Harry shook his head, and rose his eyes to heaven to prevent his tears to fall onto his cheeks.

"I had no clue, Hermione," he said before pinching the bridge of his nose to relax his body. "I wouldn't have reacted like this if she had told me about this... But now, I don't just feel alone, I have the impression that she betrayed our couple, that she damaged our relationship in a way. I know that it is selfish of me to think like this but it is the truth. I thought that we had built our marriage on trust, but it was obviously not her opinion about it."

"You're not selfish, Harry. You're a lot of things, but you're definitely not selfish," Hermione corrected him. "I don't want to blame Ginny, since I don't know what she really thinks about it, but... you're not the selfish person here. Not talking to you about something that important was her real mistake in my opinion. I can understand that she wanted to pursue the career of her dreams, but when you have a family, I consider that you have to think about their well-being before anything else."

"Oh, she had thought about everything," Harry retorted with a wicked smile. "She told me that her mum would gladly help me with James if I needed any help."

"Are you telling me that the Weasleys were..."

"...Aware long before I was, yes," Harry finished her sentence. "Funny, isn't it?"

"Molly is her mother after all, and we all know how close both of them they are...," Hermione tried to defend Ginny.

"And I am her _husband_!," Harry shouted, irritated to listen Hermione taking Ginny's defence. "I am her husband, and she had to talk to me about this. I would have been able to understand her dream if she had talked to me about it. But she decided to take this important decision by herself, and for now, I don't think that I am ready to forgive her about it."

Hermione nodded, looking at her glass of wine. It was a pity to see the most solid couple that she had ever known tear apart like this. Harry had been so happy the day of his wedding with Ginny, and even more during James' birth. To be honest, Hermione was sure that it wasn't the first quarrel that they had ever had, but if Harry had wanted to talk to her about this, it was because they had never gone through something so big.

"Will she be able to come home during the weekends at least?," she asked before taking a sip of wine.

"Not at all. During a Quidditch professional training, you don't have the possibility to come home whenever it pleases you. Ginny knew it when she signed for her training. During a year, she'll be with her teammates, and only them. With luck, she'll be able to come for Christmas and she will have a few days off during the year, but that's all."

"I'm sorry, Harry, I didn't realise that it was so... binding."

"Well, it was Ginny's decision. All that I can do is to deal with it, right? I need to focus on James, and James only."

His green eyes sparkled with a glimmer of pride when he talked about his son, and Hermione smiled at him.

"You love him with all your heart, I can see that," she noticed. "At least, James will have the possibility to spend more time with his father this way. Let's see the good in the bad, Harry."

He nodded, and smiled back at her.

"You're right, as always, Hermione. That was the reason why I wanted to see you tonight, actually."

"Really?"

"Of course. You are not like the others: you always try to focus on what is really important. Other people would have blamed Ginny for everything, but you didn't. You tried to understand what her reasons could be, and it makes me say that I made the right decision when I made that phone call."

"Oh, stop it, Harry Potter, you're going to make me blush," she chuckled.

"I mean it, Hermione. And to be honest, I'm really glad to know that you're not going back to Hogwarts this year: talking to you always calm me down, awkwardly enough. Another glass of wine, maybe?," he added when he noticed that her glass was almost empty.

"No, thank you. But what are you going to do about James? I mean... you're still working at the Ministry, and with you incessant travels..."

"I am going to retire from the missions, at least for now. I know that I have a bunch of money, and that I don't need to work for the rest of my life if I want but..."

Hermione waited for him to finish his sentence, but Harry seemed to be reluctant to do so.

"... But you have the impression that you have to continue," she finished, almost in an interrogative tone.

"Exactly. I am the Head of the Auror office, and it is my duty to continue to work with my colleagues. They are expecting a lot of me, and Kingsley too."

"I'm sure that the Minister would understa–"

"I don't want to quit yet, Hermione," Harry insisted.

"But James needs you more than anything right now."

Harry sighed, but inwardly, he knew that the young woman was right.

"I'm not working this week, since I've just returned from a mission. I just need to go to work on Friday afternoon for a meeting, but, apart that, I am free until next Monday at least."

"Alright, but what is going to happen after Sunday?," Hermione pressed him.

"I don't know," Harry admitted. "Look, for now, I'll take care of James. I still have a few days to take a decision about it. If I don't find a solution, I'll ask Molly to take care of him."

Hermione seemed to think about it for a few seconds, but she eventually nodded.

"Alright. But don't forget that I don't work at the moment, so if you need any help, I'd be glad to take care of James too if Molly isn't available."

At the exact moment when these words crossed the barrier of her lips, Hermione wondered why she had said them; she had never taken care of a baby, and she didn't even know if she could change a diaper. Harry seemed to agree with her inner thoughts since he started to laugh.

"Come on, Hermione, I am not even sure that you have ever taken James into your arms," he said playfully.

Hermione opened her mouth in a perfect "O", looking totally outraged.

"Of course I have! And I love your son, you know I do," she said in a voice full of persuasion.

"You love him, sure... from a distance," Harry retorted with a smile.

Hermione Granger wasn't not a woman comfortable with babies, and she knew it. It was one of the reasons why she was still nullipara at twenty-seven-year-old. Of course, being single didn't help either.

Suddenly, Harry's stomach made a funny noise, and he quickly get up, urging her to do the same.

"Let's go to the dining room. I did my best tonight, I hope that you'll like it."

"If it's not burnt, it will be an improvement compared to last time," Hermione whispered to herself while following him.

**XxX**

It wasn't burnt. The meat was a little too dry, but other than that, it was not bad. When they finished their desserts, it was almost midnight.

"I guess that you don't have a Floo in your flat," Harry asked her while clearing the table.

"No. I had to Apparate here, but you know how I hate it..."

"I know," Harry said with a smile. "I remember this time next year when you Apparated at St-Mungos for James' birth..."

"Don't talk to me about it," Hermione warned him, unable to hide her smile any longer. "I almost splinched myself that day."

"I still don't understand how did you do this, really. It's beyond words, knowing how talented you are."

Hermione got up and helped Harry to bring the remaining glasses into the kitchen.

"I don't know...," she eventually said. "I guess that I was too happy for you, knowing that you were about to have the family that you always desired. I just wanted to be here for you and I guess that I was too much in a hurry," she concluded with a grin.

"And you made it, despite the fact that you were at Hogwarts, probably teaching some Gryffindors the art of Transfiguration."

"It was a class of Slytherins, actually. So well, it wasn't a big loss, either for them or myself."

They laughed together, and when they finished to do the dishes, Hermione headed to the living room.

"Well, I guess that it's time for me to leave. Thank you for the dinner, Harry, and I have to admit that you made some improvements."

"Don't you want to sleep over? I don't want to say it, but... you drank quite a lot tonight."

"Not true...," she managed to say while trying to hide a yawn of tiredness.

"Come on, Hermione, two bottles for two?," Harry raised an amused eyebrow. "You don't want to be splinched, do you?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, but Harry didn't stop here.

"And you'll be able to see James tomorrow. But I have to warn you: my son is an early bird."

"Well... from that perspective... Alright, I'll stay here tonight," she finished while following Harry to the guest room.

Arrived in front of the door, Harry took her into his arms, and Hermione noticed that he didn't only want to say her goodnight while doing so.

"Thank you for everything, Hermione. I'll see you tomorrow. Sleep tight."

Hermione had just the opportunity to meet his green eyes for a second, and then Harry left, heading to his own bedroom. When she closed her eyes that night, she said to herself that she would do everything in her power to help her friend to overcome this bad moment.

_Everything_.

* * *

_Thank you again for your wonderful answers to chapter three. I've answered to every of you, I guess. Thank you to the anonymous guests too, you are amazing. And now that my exams are over (yey!), I'll have more time for myself. _

_See you soon. _


	5. You Can Count On Us

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

* * *

**Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic**

_I never wanted to say goodbye  
You never wanted to see me cry  
Now I'm afraid to open my eyes  
Are you gone, gone, gone?_

**_Kina Grannis - Gone_**

* * *

When Hermione opened her eyes, she noticed that the rays of sun were already shinning all over the guest room. She stretched her back, only wearing her underwear. She had obviously taken care of magically locking the door of her room before going to sleep, not wanting to be discovered into such an outfit by Harry in the morning.

Not hearing any sign of life from the other side of the door, she decided to take a good shower before leaving the guest room. Harry and Ginny had thought about everything when they had bought this place: the two guest rooms had their own bathroom. When she finished, she dried her hair with her wand and put her dress on.

Surprisingly enough, when she opened the door, she heard James' laugh coming from the living room. A second later, she saw the most beautiful thing: Harry was playing with his son, making him jump in the air before catching him right away. James was more than happy, and Hermione couldn't help but smile at this sight.

"Good morning, boys," she eventually said, and Harry turned around to look at her.

"Oh, Hermione, hi. Did you sleep well?," he asked, James still into his arms.

"Yes, it was perfect. But I didn't hear you two playing when I was in the guest room, so I overslept..."

"I put a silencing charm on your door," Harry explained with a smile. "I thought that you didn't want to be woken up by this little guy," he continued before putting a kiss on James' forehead.

"Well, it wouldn't have been a problem. Can I...?," she asked, her arms outstretched to take James into her arms.

"Sure."

When Hermione took the little boy into her arms, she looked at him with an undecipherable expression all over her face.

"Hi, Jamie. Do you remember about your aunt Hermione?," she asked while gently caressing his back.

The little boy stared at her, his green eyes focused on Hermione's brown ones. But, soon enough, he started to smile at her, and Hermione smiled back before kissing his right cheek.

"You've changed so much," she sighed. "I remember when you were still a little baby, six months ago. And look at you now, you're the most handsome baby that I've ever seen."

"Not that you've seen a lot of babies in your life," Harry noticed with a laugh while putting James' toys back into a box.

"Don't listen to your father, Jamie, he's a killjoy," she whispered to his ear, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

Hermione thought for a second that it was far from the kind of holidays that she had thought about when she had left Hogwarts, two days ago. She had expected to read a lot, to take her time to think about her project to open a bookshop... And here she was, at Harry's house, playing with his son.

"What are you thinking about?," Harry's voice got her out of her torpor.

"Oh, nothing important. Did James already eat?," she asked when she heard his tummy making some funny sounds.

"No... Just wait for me here, I'm going to prepare something for breakfast."

Hermione nodded, and decided to take a sit. She installed James onto her lap, and took what seemed to be his wubby into her hands. It was a soft toy representing a dog, and James didn't take long before taking it in his arms. Five minutes later, Harry found them into this position, and he couldn't help but smile while walking toward them.

"He seems to like you," the green-eyed wizard noticed before giving his feeding-bottle to James.

"Well... Babies love everyone, I guess."

"Don't be so sure about that. James, for example, is not so fond of his uncle Ron."

"Really? I thought that it would be the contrary to be honest. Ron is always the funny one..."

"He doesn't pay too much attention to him when we go to the Burrow," Harry explained. "Ron is... well..."

"Childish?," Hermione tried with a sad smile when she noticed that Harry was looking for the right word.

He looked up at her and slowly nodded.

"In a way," Harry simply said before staring at James once again. He knew that, even after all this time, Hermione was still reluctant to talk about Ron. They had been together right after the War, and after two years together, they had decided to spit, mostly because Hermione wanted to teach at Hogwarts and that Ron didn't want her to leave.

"You don't have to feel embarrassed, Harry," Hermione sighed when she saw that he was avoiding her. "This story is over since a long time. It's been seven years now, and Ron and I are in good terms, don't doubt it. I know that we didn't have the opportunity to spend some time just the three of us, but now that I'm back from Hogwarts, I hope to see you two more often," she concluded with a smile while helping James to drink from his feeding-bottle.

"How did you do it?," Harry continued, relieved to know that his two best friends weren't in bad terms.

"I'm sorry?"

"About Ron, I mean... How did you do to find a way to forgive him?"

Hermione didn't look at him right away, as if she was thinking about what answer she could give him. She understood that Harry was asking her this question because he wanted to find a way to forgive Ginny after her departure. But she also knew that, despite the fact that both of them were Weasleys, the two situations were slightly different.

"Well... It just happened," she eventually answered. "One day, I realised that, maybe, he wasn't the selfish person in our relationship, and that we both made mistakes. I was the one who left him, if you remember."

"But he said things that he shouldn't have said," Harry added, frowning.

"I know," Hermione sighed, thinking about this day, seven years ago, when Ron had asked her to leave their flat. "But we were young, and... our friendship was more important than our love for each other, I guess. I thought about this during years, Harry, and I realised that you can't stay mad at someone for so long when you went through so much together. We are not best friends or lovers like we used to be, sure, but we still care for each other, and that's the most important thing here."

"I don't know if I can be as wise as you are when it comes to Ginny," Harry admitted while running a hand into his short hair.

"She's your wife," Hermione reminded him. "She's James' mother. I know that it's hard for now, Harry, but I'm sure that you'll find a way to pick up the pieces."

"But how?," he insisted.

"I don't know," Hermione conceded, knowing that it would be hard for Harry to find a way to forgive his wife. "But James needs a family..."

"Yes, James needs a family, and yet, she decided to leave. To be honest, I don't even think that we can save this family any more."

Hermione shook her head and put James' empty feeding-bottle back onto the coffee table. "You are saying this because you're angry, and I can understand it, Harry. But I know that you're not this kind of person; I know that you'll do anything in your power to give James the family that he needs more than anything else. Until then, you can count on me, whenever you need my help."

**XxX**

They decided not to talk about it the rest of the day. They prepared breakfast for two together, and Hermione gave some of her favourite recipes to Harry. James was more than happy to have someone new to play with, and around 4 o'clock, Hermione decided that it was time for her to leave.

"I think that you two have things to do," she said before kissing James' forehead. "But I'll be glad to come back this weekend, if you don't have anything scheduled."

"You're more than welcome here, Hermione. I think that James and I are going to go to the Burrow in a few minutes," Harry said while looking at the clock. "I have some things to talk about to Molly, actually..."

"Don't be too hard on her, especially in front of James...," she warned him before kissing him on the cheek. "It wasn't her decision in the first place."

"I know... But I guess that she's the only one who can talk to me about Ginny's motives. Moreover, I need to ask her if she can take care of James for a few hours tomorrow. She's still his grandmother after all."

"Alright. Well, if you need anything, you've got my number," she said for the umpteenth time before opening the entrance door.

"I know," Harry repeated with a smile. "Goodbye, Hermione."

With a last smile, she Disappeared, leaving Harry and James on the doorstep.

**XxX**

The Burrow was calm at this time of the day. Molly had just prepared her favourite tea, and she served herself a cup before heading to the living room. The house was silent, and she shook her head out of despair. She remembered these years when this house was full of laugh, full of children cries... These days were gone forever now, and she was most of the time alone with Arthur, when he wasn't working, of course. Oh, she had the opportunity to see her grandchildren from time to time, but it wasn't the same. They were, for most of them, living abroad, and despite the fact that they had installed an International Floo in the living room few years ago, they had their lives to live and she could just see them once or twice a month.

James was the only exception, she thought with a sad smile while sitting into her favourite armchair, taking care not to split her beverage onto her knees. James was her last grandchild, and she loved him very much. He was a funny little boy, always happy and ready to play. He had a good temper, and was always more than pleased to visit his grandparents. Molly's expression darkened when she thought about what would happen now that Ginny was gone. She had thought that Harry would have came at the Burrow the previous day right after Ginny's letter, but he hadn't, to her great despair. She had so much things to say to him, and she wondered if it would be a good idea to write him a letter herself.

Just when this idea came into her mind, she heard a knock at the door. Frowning, she put her cup of tea back onto the table and hurried to the entrance door. Arthur wasn't supposed to be here at this time of the day, and, moreover, his golden hand on the clock was still on "work".

The door made its characteristic sound when she opened it, and she didn't move immediately when she met Harry's green eyes.

"Harry, my boy...," she whispered, her eyes going to James who was into his father's arms, his head rested on his shoulder. "Please, come in."

Her son-in-law entered into the house without a word, and Molly took a deep breath. Harry had every right to be angry, she knew it. But she just wanted to have the opportunity to explain herself about her daughter's departure.

"Is James hungry?," she asked, not waiting for his answer to go into the kitchen.

"No, it's fine Molly, otherwise he will not eat tonight."

The old woman nodded and followed them into the living room. Harry put James into the playpen that Arthur had made for him months ago, and accepted the cup of tea that Molly was handing him.

"Is Ginny here?," Harry asked even if he knew perfectly well that she had left the previous day.

"No, she's already gone," Molly answered in a sigh. "Harry, you have to know that I knew nothing about my daughter's plans until last week when she came at the Burrow to warn me about her plans, otherwise I would have tried to reason with her."

Harry looked straight at her, as if he was trying to understand if she was saying the truth or not. Molly went on.

"I swear to you... You know that I'm close to my family, Harry, and I am so proud to know that you're a part of it. I tried to make her understand how lucky she was to have you two in her life, but... she didn't want to listen to me. I don't want you to think that I push her into this direction, I've never–"

"I know," Harry interrupted her. "But what did she say to you? Why did... I don't get it, Molly, everything seems to be so crazy, so sudden..."

"She said that she wanted to achieve her dream," Molly muttered. "She was happy with both of you, I'm sure of it, but, inwardly, I guess that she wanted something different. Quidditch has always been her passion, Harry."

"Quidditch, or just being a celebrity?," Harry asked with irony. "All that I wanted was to have the opportunity to talk to her, Molly, that's all. She took this decision alone, and that's something that I can't accept so easily. She left her son for a year, for heaven's sake."

"She didn't know it in the first place," Molly tried to calm him down. "She thought that she could come home every weekend, but then the manager told her that it wouldn't be possible, given the fact that it's an intensive training because of her age."

"She knew it, we all know it," Harry cut her off. "She's fond of Quidditch since she's a kid, she can't say that she didn't know about it."

"Please, Harry... I realise that it's hard for you, but don't blame her too much... She's young, and she did a mistake, but..."

"We've got a kid together, Molly. I can't act like nothing happened. I'm not saying that I'm going to be angry at her for weeks, but for now, I can't forgive her, no matter how hard I try."

"And I totally understand... I'm glad that you came here with James, it means everything to me."

Harry nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on his son.

"I don't plan to forbid you to see him, don't be afraid about it. You're the only grandmother that James has left, after all."

Molly smiled, visibly relieved by Harry's decision.

"I'll do my best to help you during this year, Harry. You are like a son to me, don't ever doubt that. If you need anything, I'm here."

"Actually, I was wondering if you could keep an eye on him tomorrow afternoon. I need to work and..."

"No problem at all, my dear," Molly said swiftly. I'll be more than happy to spend the afternoon with this little boy," she ran her hand into James' hair.

"Thank you. I'll be here around two o'clock if you don't mind."

"It's perfect. You can even leave him with me for lunch if it's better for you."

Harry seemed to think about it, and eventually, he nodded.

"Perfect then. I'll drop him by around midday."

When Harry left the Burrow that day, he hurried to his house to give a bath to his son. After an hour spent in the warm water playing with a bunch of toys, the Auror prepared their dinner, and, truth to be told, he liked to spend moments like these ones with James. James was always cheerful, and they were doing a good team together.

But when he put James into his crib and closed the door behind him, Harry couldn't help but feel terribly alone. The living room seemed to be enormous with no one to share it, and he had the impression to see Ginny everywhere: in the kitchen, on the sofa next to him...

He had spent years in this house with the woman that he thought was meant for him. Ginny had always been here for him, and, above all, she had given him an amazing son. But the more he thought about it, the harder it was to understand her reasons to leave without talking about it with him first. Of course, he had been abroad during two months, but two months were definitely not enough to conclude a Quidditch contract, especially given the fact that Ginny was not a professionnal player yet. She had obviously thought about it during a long time in Harry's back.

But Harry needed to focus on his son, on James. Did he really need to quit his job, like Hermione had told him the day prior? It was a possibility. Truth to be told, it was even the best solution right now. He knew that he couldn't be really focused on his job while knowing that James wasn't with at least one of his parents. Harry sighed while running his hand in his brown hair. He would talk about it with Kingsley during his meeting tomorrow.

Harry didn't even realise that he had taken the phone into his right hand and that he had dial a number without even noticing it. When he heard a feminine voice on the phone, he just smiled.

"Hermione? I'm sorry to disturb you at this time of the evening, but are you available tomorrow for lunch?"

* * *

**_To make things clear here: Harry didn't call Hermione because he wanted to replace Ginny. It's just that he's alone and Hermione is the only person he can talk right now, all of his other relatives being Weasleys, mostly. I hope that the lack of romance at the beginning of this story is not a problem for you, but I want to take things slow. _**

**_Thank you for following this story, you are all amazing! I'm leaving for a long weekend tomorrow morning, so I don't have time to answer to your reviews for last chapter tonight, but I'll do it in the train tomorrow morning._**

**_Until then, have a nice day, and let me know what you think. :) _**


	6. Decisions and Communication

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.  
**

* * *

**Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic**

_"Let the fire outside yourself_  
_ You are not the one who made this mess_  
_ No you've got to pride yourself_  
_ Take all of that is better found_  
_ You will be the one to throw it away"_

**_Kina Grannis - Throw It Away_**

* * *

"_My love,_

_I arrived at the training camp in Ireland two days ago. You don't know how much I miss you and Jamie. Does he eat adequately? I hope that he doesn't prevent you from working, though. Like I said before, if you have any problem, my mum will help you, so don't hesitate to go to the Burrow sometime. _

_What can I say? The weather is quite awful, despite the fact that we are already in June, but my team-mates are great so far. I knew that it would be a hard year, but now that I'm here, I understand that it will be far worse than what I imagined. I realise, given all the things that we have to learn, why it isn't possible for us to go back home whenever we want too. But, even if it's too soon for me to talk about it, I have the impression that some of the best players can have the opportunity to go back home at the end of every three-month session. Amazing, isn't it? If it's the truth, be sure that I'll do my best during the first three months. _

_I miss you already... You don't know how hard it is to go to sleep without giving a kiss to James every night. I've got a lot of photographs with me, but of course, it's not the same. And it's also not the same to look at you without being able to kiss you or to hug you, Harry. _

_Never forget that you're the love of my life, _

_Please kiss James for me, and tell him that his mum loves him very much._

_Ginny_

_PS: You can send me all the letters that you want, I'll read and cherish all of them." _

**XxX**

"_Harry, _

_I've waited for a letter from you last week, but, obviously, you're too busy to take some time to write me. Anyway... I hope that you're not too overwhelmed by your job, and by all the things that you need to do with James. My mum sent me a letter and told me that you let her take care of James last Friday. I'm happy to see that things are settled between the two of you. She is more than happy to take care of James, and it reassures me to know that my son is with one of my relatives when you're not available._

_Talking about your job... Mum told me that you've decided to stop working for some time? Why didn't you tell me about it? I don't know what to think about it, though. I'm happy to know that, this way, you'll be able to take care of James, but... I don't want you to take such decision because I told you that I wasn't happy to stay at home when you were travelling so much. It's your job, Harry, and I know how much it means to you: being an Auror is your destiny, and you have to continue to ascend through the ranks. Who knows? Maybe that you're going to be one of the youngest Minister of Magic one day. _

_Well, I guess that we will have the opportunity to talk about it when I'll be back home. Do you remember what I said to you in my previous letter? It's true! The three best players will be able to go back home for a weekend at the end of the first three-month session. For now, everything goes well, so I'm still in the race, and I hope to win. _

_I have a lot of fun here, despite the fact that the training is hard. Do you realise that I wake up around 6 a.m, I go to the training at 7 and my day ends around 8 p.m? Trust me: it's hard to work out during so many hours, especially after so many years spent without playing at a high level. But I do my best, and I hope that it will be enough to be able to spend 48 hours with the two men of my life. _

_Never forget that I love you, Harry. I know that it will be a hard year but you need to rely on the fact that we are married and that these twelve months are going to pass in a heartbeat. Then, we'll be reunited. Don't be too angry at me, please. _

_I love you, _

_Ginny." _

Harry rubbed his eyes red with the lack of sleep after having read Ginny's letter for the umpteenth time. James was crying in his chamber, and it was the second night in a row when he couldn't sleep properly. With a sigh, he put down the piece of parchment onto the coffee table and get up from the couch, heading to James' room. Was his son sick? He didn't know, to be honest. He had never learned the spells to know if an infant was sick, and he was regretting it right now. _Ginny knows them_, he thought before taking James out of his crib.

The one-year-old baby was red, surely tired of having yelled so much and obviously disturbed by the uncomfortable heat of his room. His father went to the window to open it, and returned to the armchair right in front of the window opening. He started to rub James' back, and after a few minutes, his son started to relax into his arms. Maybe that it was just a nightmare after all, like the one that he had had the night before. And several times last week too...

Harry kissed his forehead and continued to rock him at a slow pace. These moments spent with James were peaceful, despite the fact that they always occured in the middle of the night. James' baby smell was relaxing, and hugging his thin frame against his own protective body was a relief for Harry. During the last week, he had spent his days and nights with James, taking advantage of this time with his son to make all the things that he hadn't had the opportunity to do before: going to the park with him, spending some time at the pool when the heat was unbearable, and reading James' favourite stories before sleeping.

A link was growing between them, stronger that it had been in the past. Not that Harry hadn't payed attention to his son before: but now that he could spend all his time with James, he realised all the little – but oh so important – things that he had missed in the past when he was working hard or when he was abroad. Somehow during this week, he had begun to ease the anger that he was feeling toward Ginny and had started to take advantage of this year alone to do everything that he hadn't been able to do before: spending quality times with James and making the most out of it.

**XxX**

When Hermione knocked at the Potters' door that Tuesday morning, she didn't expect to see Harry so tired when he opened the door.

"Mmh, am I interrupting something important... such as your sleep?," she asked when she entered into the house.

"Don't worry about it," Harry muttered while closing the door behind her. "James didn't sleep very well last night."

"It's not the first time," Hermione retorted in a worried voice. "Did Ginny tell you about his nightmares before?"

"No, she didn't."

"Did you ask her?," she insisted while following her friend in the kitchen, staring at him as he was preparing two cups of coffee.

"I didn't," he sighed. "If you want to know everything, I didn't answer to her letters, and I don't plan to do it anytime soon."

"Harry..."

"_Don't_, Hermione," he cut her off before handing her a cup of coffee. "I think that I've read her letters a million times already. And even if I'm not as angry as I was last week, it still hurts."

Hermione remained quiet, knowing that the last days were a real pain for Harry. He had stopped working – except every Friday afternoon when he needed to go to the Auror Office to debrief the week with his co-workers – and was now _almost_ a single father for a year. She knew that Harry wasn't angry at the fact of taking care of James, quite the contrary: during her few visits at his house, she had noticed how pleased her friend was to be with his son, to play with him, to give him anything that he needed. She had witnessed his happiness when James called him "_dada_", and his laughs when he gave him a bath. Yes; even if Harry was hurt, definitely hurt by Ginny's decision, he was doing his best not to show it to his son.

Hermione had tried to be there for him whenever he needed her help; she knew that Harry would have done the same for her if she was in this situation. They had spent a few summer evenings together, and she had almost had the impression that they were back to Hogwarts during these hours, minus the fact that now, there was a toddler with them, someone to take care of.

Suddenly, the young woman saw Harry heading to the living room, his cup of coffee in his hand, and followed him.

"So you plan not to answer to you wife, to wait for her return next year and resume your life as if nothing happened?"

"She thinks that it's possible for her to return in less than three months, actually."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You heard me... She has the possibility to come back home for a week-end at the end of the first three-months session. I guess that I'll decide what to do then."

Hermione raised a surprise eyebrow and sat down in the armchair to face her friend.

"And what are your options? You are talking as if you didn't want to resume your married life with Ginny."

She was about to take a sip of coffee when she noticed that Harry was looking away.

"Harry... Please don't tell me that you are seriously thinking about it...," she whispered.

"And what am I supposed to think about, Hermione?," he hissed, not wanting to wake James up. "As far as I know, Ginny decided to put an end to our family when she decided to leave almost without a word. She prepared her bags without even warning me, she accepted this training on her own, so tell me, please tell me why should I care about her feelings any longer?"

Hermione didn't think twice when she quickly answered.

"Because you love her."

Of course, Harry loved his wife, and it had been like that during the last ten years. He had given her everything that a woman could ask for, and beyond. If there was something obvious in all this mess, it was the love that Harry had for Ginny.

"Because you love her," she repeated, "and because James needs his two parents by his side. Even if you think that these days that you are spending with James are amazing – and I am sure that they will continue to be –, you know that James needs a mother. You two are his family..."

"She left him too," Harry interrupted her before quickly finishing his cup of coffee and putting it back onto the table. "I don't even want to think about what will happen once this training will be over."

"She left him with you," Hermione muttered. "She knew that you were here for James, and Molly too."

Harry remained silent, and Hermione pursed her lips. Even if she didn't want to upset her best friend, she had to say these things. Of course, she also thought that Ginny's behaviour was hard to forgive, but at the same time, she didn't want Harry to take this kind of decision so soon. Ginny had left almost two weeks before, and the green-eyed wizard needed to think about it before choosing what was best for him – and for James.

"Think about it, Harry. I don't want to interfere in your marriage, but... you have to talk to her, it's a bad idea to keep all these things for you. You don't have to be gentle or hypocrite, but please, don't break this link with the mother of your son."

When Harry looked up at her and sighed, Hermione knew that she had won this time.

"I'll send her a letter," he capitulated. "At least to let her know about James and his nightmares."

The brunette nodded, visibly relieved by his decision.

"And what do you plan to do today?"

"I think that I'll go to the park with James in the afternoon, do you want to come with us?"

"Count me in," Hermione accepted with a smile.

**XxX**

Hermione left Harry and James around six o'clock, telling him that she was invited by her parents for dinner. Once at home, Harry took care of James and eventually sat at his desk, a piece of parchment and a quill in front of him.

Several minutes passed, and Harry wasn't even sure that it was a good idea to write a letter to his wife. What could he possibly say to her? That he was hurt and that he didn't even know what to do once she'll return? He couldn't say it like _that_, though. Even if it was what he was thinking about at this exact moment, he knew how important this training was to Ginny, and he didn't want to force her to come back because of him: it was the last thing that he wanted.

Taking a deep breath, he finally took the quill in his trembling hand.

"_Ginny, _

_I'm sorry I took so long before writing you a letter; life has been hectic these last few days. _

_Yes, I – almost – quitted my job. I'm still working on Friday afternoon, but that's pretty much it. I've seen your mum twice since your departure, and things are going well in London. James is perfect, and we are slowly adjusting to a life just the two of us. _

_Talking about James, he started to have nightmares since you're gone, and I don't know if it's related to your departure or not. Did it already happen in the past? _

_Anyway... I'm glad to hear that everything is going in Ireland. Take care of yourself._

_Harry." _

He read his letter several times, and noticed how cold his tone was. But he couldn't do better than that, no matter how hard he tried. Something was broken between Ginny and him, and, despite the fact that Hermione was right about the family that James needed, Harry didn't know if, one day, things would be better between them. To love someone was something, but to want to build something with the same person was another. He had tried, they had tried, but in the end, Harry realised that it was just a wall of smoke.

He knew how soon it was to make up his mind about all this situation, but, deep inside, he had the feeling that he was finally ready to put his anger and his pain aside and move on.

All for his son's sake.

* * *

**Have you noticed it? I've changed the rating of this story from M to T. Why? Well, just because I don't plan to write anything too graphic for this story. This is a Romance/Family story, and especially a Family one. So I hope that you're not disappointed.**

**Thank you SO MUCH for your reviews, I appreciated all of them, really.** **I love to see how involved you are, how eager you are to give me your opinion about what I write. Really, it's amazing as a writer to know that our work is not so bad after all. So please, keep going, and I'll keep going thanks to all the love that you send me. **

**Things are still going slow, but I promise that it's going to change in the upcoming chapters.**

**I hope to read from you soon. **


	7. Evening's Mistake

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.  
**

* * *

**Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic**

_"Cause you are loved, _

_You are loved more than you know."_

**_Sleeping At Last - Light_**

* * *

Sometimes, you have these moments in your life when you need to look back, and think about everything that you've done. Every little thing that had an impact on what you are right now. And Hermione Granger was experiencing this right now.

Lost into her thoughts, the _Daily Prophet_ in front of her, she was thinking about everything that she had done in the past; every battle that she had lived with Harry and Ron, every curse that she had avoided, every little genius idea that she had had. She refrained a smile, thinking about everything that they went through, as a team. They had always been three, even if the two boys didn't seem to like her in the first place. But never mind; at the end of their schooling, they were three and now...

Now they were not close as in the past. Life happened, and she had left for Hogwarts, burying herself into her job. Of course, from time to time, she was taking some time for herself, and decided to spend a few days with Harry and Ginny, but Ron... Ron was a part of her life that she almost wanted to forget about. Not the friendship part, no. Ron was her friend no matter what. Hermione refrained a sarcastic laugh when she realised that Ron had been her only lover, despite the fact that she was currently 26-year-old. At 26, she had just had _one_ boyfriend, and he was one of her best friends.

"Pathetic," she muttered to herself, and tried to focus on the _Daily Prophet_.

Even if the life that she had lived since the end of her schooling hadn't been the one that she was looking for, she had the feeling that now was the moment to change everything around her: her job, her way to see things. She wanted to _live_, that's all.

At the dinner the previous day at her parent's, her mum had asked her if she had someone in her life. Awkwardly enough, Hermione had just laughed, as if it was a funny question to ask. But swiftly, while seeing her parent's disturbed look, her face had hardened. _No, mum, I have no one at the moment_. "At the moment": this little portion of sentence was supposed to give hope to her parents, to give her hope too. Who knew? Maybe that she would find someone at her new job. Maybe that she could subscribe to these speed-dates that her mum had talked her about one year ago. Maybe...

It was something that Hermione didn't like to talk about: her affective life. She had always felt insecure about her charm, about her look... Her hair was still a living hell, even if it was tamer than before, thanks Merlin for this little miracle. She knew that it wasn't with a face free from make-up that she could make someone fall for her, Ron had been clear enough about this point a few months before their break-up.

Was she mad at him after all this time? She wasn't sure. A part of her didn't want to forgive him for his attitude, but another part wanted to move on, and to be able to continue a friendship with the redhead boy. He meant something to her, of course, just like Harry meant something to her.

Harry... Hermione started to nervously play with a page of the newspapers when she thought about her friend, her friend who was the father of an amazing boy. A smile lightened her face, and she remembered about these moments that she had witnessed, these moments when Harry and James played together, sharing a real father and son relationship. For that, she was almost happy that Ginny had left for her Quidditch training. Somehow, it was what Harry needed: to focus on the real things, on the things in his life that mattered. James mattered, and he was the best thing that her friend had done in his whole life.

Inwardly, Hermione realised that she was a little jealous of Harry. Or was she jealous of Ginny? After all, she was the one who had everything that a woman could want in her life: a husband, a baby, and now a career. The former Hogwarts' teacher realised that she had none of it so far, and her smile slowly faded away.

"Between these three things, a job is easier to find... I guess," she whispered before starting to read the classified ads in the newspapers.

**XxX**

_**A month later**_

_I need to talk to you_. It was the six words that Hermione had said to Harry at the phone before hanging up. She had said that she would be at his house in less than an hour, a glimmer of excitement in her voice.

Harry just had the time to take care of James, to give him a bath before giving him his feeding-bottle. It was almost eight in the evening, and he had just came back from the Burrow where he had left James for the afternoon. Molly had been–as usual–more than pleased to take care of her grandson, and Harry had taken advantage of these moments alone to go shopping. Being a single father was quite an exhausting job, and he realised that Ginny had lived this situation during more than a month and a half, contrary to him. Oh, of course, he had taken care of James during the first year of his life, but he had been with Ginny during all this time, and it was nothing compared to do all of it alone.

Fortunately, during his moments of solitude, when the darkness was slowly taking advantage over the daylight, Hermione was there; she was always there when he needed her. And it was normal for him to be there for her when she needed his presence. And right now, she seemed to be more than eager to talk to him.

James was in his crib since less than ten minutes when a little knock was heard at the entrance door. A second later, Hermione's smile was shining all around, and Harry noticed that she had a bottle of wine in her right hand.

"May I know why you're here?," Harry asked after kissing her on the cheek.

"It's not like I didn't come at your house several times a week during the last month," she laughed while Harry was closing the door after her. "Moreover, we've got something to celebrate."

"Really? What the good news could be?"

"Let's open this bottle of wine first, and I'll tell you," she retorted with a wink, visibly more than happy by what she was about to say to him.

It was enough for Harry to put a smile on his face too; Hermione's enthusiasm was always contagious, and this time was no exception.

Two full glasses of wine later, they were on the sofa, clinking their glasses.

"So?," Harry asked, running an impatient hand in his dark hair, revelling the scar that was still visible on his forehead.

"I've finally got a job!," Hermione shouted, and Harry was glad to know that the silencing charm was active when James was sleeping.

"It's not really a surprise, but congratulations," he retorted before taking her in his arms. "Is it at Flourish and Blotts like you told me last week?"

"Yes, it is. I will be a bookseller for at least a year, and then... then I guess that I'll be able to open my own shop," she explained before sipping her wine.

"It's great, really. I can totally see you selling a bunch of necessary books to a horde of Hogwarts' first year," Harry laughed.

"Well, I hope that I'll do more than reading a list and collecting the necessary books for them. I'm really eager to know more about how to run a bookstore, and it will be a good training."

"When will you begin?"

"Right after this weekend. So I guess that I'll have less time to come here and spend some time with you and James," she finished in a whisper, staring at Harry as if she was eager to see his reaction.

Harry pursed his lips, and after a few moment of hesitation, he nodded.

"That's fine. After all, you will not always be around."

"What do you mean?," Hermione asked, finishing her glass of wine.

"I mean that you are twenty-six, you are brilliant, well... You know what I mean," he swiftly said before filling Hermione's glass once again.

The latter raised a surprise eyebrow, and couldn't refrain a laugh.

"Mmh, well, I'm not sure to understand what you are trying to say right now, Harry. As far as I know, I don't have any disease, and I don't have any suicidal ideas running in my head..."

"It's not what I mean, and you perfectly know it," Harry cut her off with a smile. "I just want to say that soon, you'll find someone, a boyfriend, so I better get used to it."

Hermione stayed still, not really knowing what she could say to her best friend.

"But it's not a problem at all, don't worry," Harry quickly added when he realised that Hermione didn't know what to say back. "It's just that I was used to see you around, to spend time with you and James, that's all."

He tried to smile again, but soon realised that his smile was a fake one. He didn't even know why he was talking about this right now. To hide his discomfort, he finished his glass of wine and filled it once again. Knowing that it wasn't enough, and realising that Hermione didn't seem eager to talk anymore, he stood up, heading to the open kitchen.

"Well, do you want to eat something? It is quite late, and I don't think that you've got the time to dinner..."

"Harry–"

"What do you want to eat? I can make some spaghetti bolognese, or I can order Chinese food if you prefer?"

"Harry–"

"You know that I am not a bad cooker anymore," he continued, ignoring her attempts to talk to him. "So I guess that the spaghetti are fine."

Hermione nodded, not trying to say what she wanted to in the first place.

"Spaghetti are fine."

**XxX**

"What is your best memory from Hogwarts?," Harry asked, once they were casually installed on the sofa, after having dinner. They had opened their second bottle of wine, and Harry was almost drunk. He could feel it; this little dizziness, this constant smile that he had over his face, these stupid questions that he was asking her since quite a long time...

"My best memory?," Hermione repeated while straightening her back. "Mmh, I don't know, really. Maybe the Yule Ball?"

"With _Krum_?," Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Please, don't say his name like this," she laughed. "You know, it was one of the few times when I thought that I was beautiful, so yes, I guess that it is one of my best memories from Hogwarts," she finished in a whisper.

"Really?"

"Really," she repeated in a laugh. "And don't give me that look, Potter. I know that I am not a pure beauty, drop it."

Harry shook his head. "Don't depreciate yourself, Hermione. You're brilliant, yo–"

"Yes," she interrupted him, "I am _brilliant_. It's the first thing that people say when they meet me. Look, it's the second time of the evening that you are saying that I am _brilliant _to describe me, so...," she drawled with a sad smile, looking down at her glass of wine.

Unconsciously, she ran a hand into her mane of brown curls, a sign of her embarrassment. A minute passed, and Hermione wanted to leave Harry's house. But she wasn't sure that she could walk given all the alcohol that she had drunk during the evening; it was a habit that she had developed during her evenings with Harry, and she knew that she had to stop it soon.

Eventually, Harry put his glass of wine back on the coffee table and shook his head.

"You are brilliant, yes, you are. You are a brilliant witch, Hermione, and I can understand why it is the first thing that people see when they meet you: you are one of the most intelligent people that I know, and I have to say that I know a lot of brilliant people, no bragging here. It's not a bad thing to be clever, so don't think so little of you. But even if you are a brilliant witch, it doesn't mean that you're not beautiful, quite the contrary. _No_, listen," he quickly added when he saw that Hermione was about to retort something. He closed the gap between them and ran a hand into her curly hair. "Your hair is a part of you; it shows how untamed you are, how wild you are inside. It suits you well, Hermione, and I don't want you to think that it's something that a man wouldn't love. I can assure you that more than one man would fall for these curls. And your face...," he continued, his hand slowly caressing her jaw, "Hermione, you don't realise that you are beautiful. These chestnut eyes, these fleshy lips...," he finished in a whisper, his eyes focused on the aforementioned lips.

Hermione didn't know what to do. Harry was so close, _so close_... She couldn't think properly, and her hands were shaking so much that she had to focus not to drop her glass of wine on the sofa. Harry's hand was still on her face, and a second later, his lips entered in contact with her own. The first thing that she did was to close her eyes, while Harry's hand was moving to her hair, buried into her mane. When she felt his tongue asking for her permission to enter into her mouth, she slowly opened her lips, and let him take possession of her mouth. Their kiss was slow, like every drunken kiss, and Hermione realised through her dizziness that it was the first time in _years_ that she kissed a man.

After a few moments, she put her hand onto Harry's one, and frowned when she felt something around one of his fingers. Despite that, she continued to kiss him with more fervour, but soon enough, something clicked into her mind: _Harry was wearing his wedding ring_.

She broke the kiss, her eyes full of horror.

"Oh my– I... I shouldn't have..."

Hermione wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, as if she wanted to erase what they did, and she didn't dare to look up at Harry.

"Hermione...," he muttered.

"We're drunk... I'm not supposed to be here, I need to..."

She didn't finish her sentence and got up, putting her glass of wine back onto the table in front of her.

"Please, don't freak out," Harry said, following her in the entrance corridor.

"It was a mistake," Hermione muttered before taking her bag. "I'm not Ginny, Harry."

"I know," he snapped. "_I know_. I just wanted to show y–"

"I need to go," she whispered before opening the door. "I'm sorry."

She didn't even kiss him on the cheek. She just left into the night, not even taking the time to put her jacket on. Harry stared at her until she Disappeared in a "_Pop_".

One thing was sure: he wouldn't have the opportunity to spend some time with Hermione before a long, long time.

* * *

_I wrote this chapter long ago, but... I don't know, I wasn't sure about this story anymore. A guest pointed out that Harry is still married, and I get it, you know. That's what one of the reasons why I didn't want to publish this chapter - with this last scene - and why I struggled with it. No offense, I can understand that some of you are disappointed by the fact that something will develop between Harry and Hermione, but... I don't want him to "betray" Ginny. They'll have some opportunities to talk about their own relationship in this fanfiction. _

_Well, people always say here that we should write whatever we want to. So it is what I am going to do with this story. Thank you for your supportive reviews, it means a lot to me, really. _

_See you soon. :)_

_PS: when Hermione thinks that she is "jealous" of Ginny... She's just thinking about what she doesn't have, alright? She doesn't want to steal whatever Ginny has. Just saying. :D  
_


	8. Aftermath

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

* * *

**Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic**

_For 27 years I've been trying to believe and confide in_  
_ Different people I've found._  
_ Some of them got closer than others_  
_ Some wouldn't even bother and then you came around_

**_The Cardigans - Communication_**

* * *

"It didn't happen, it didn't happen...," Hermione couldn't stop repeating over and over, her hands shaking on her lap. It was like a mantra, something that she couldn't stop saying, something that she wanted to believe in so damn much: Harry Potter didn't put his lips on hers.

It was a total nonsense when she was thinking about it. Harry Potter, her friend since she was twelve-year-old wouldn't do such a thing. He was married, for Merlin's sake, married to a beautiful woman who had given him a _son_, no less.

She buried her head into her hands, trying to remember when everything had went wrong. Was it when she had talked about her job, when Harry opened the first bottle of wine? Or maybe it was when they had started to eat, or maybe...

"Oh my..."

No matter how hard she was trying to remember, the only image that came into Hermione's mind was Harry's face coming toward her, his lips just a few inches from her own, and then... then she had closed her eyes to _feel_ the kiss better.

She had closed her eyes, yes, she had done it on purpose. She realised that she had thought, during a second, that what was happening was normal, while it wasn't in the slightest. It wasn't normal because of so many things. Ginny, James... even the fact that he was Harry Potter. Harry fucking Potter, the little boy who had greeted her when she had been in the Hogwarts' Express fourteen years before; the man who had asked her what was her opinion before asking Ginny to marry him–and she had said that it was a good idea, of course–; the same Harry who had slept under the same roof as her during their stays at the Burrow, _his wife's house_.

After a few moments of despair, it was the only remaining fact that Hermione could think about: Harry was married, and yet, he had kissed her. The reason why he did this was still blurry in her mind but... they shared a kiss.

She refrained a moan of shame and, with the help of all the alcohol that she had drunk one or two hours before, she lay down on her couch and fell asleep.

**XxX**

He couldn't do it. He wanted to, but his hand seemed to be made of steel.

Harry was staring at the phone since a long time, too long to be mentioned. Hermione's number was stuck into his mind; he just had to pick up the phone, dial her number and pray for her to be at her flat. It wasn't hard, was it?

James was playing on the carpet right in front of him, and his incessant babbling wasn't enough to disturb his father; the situation was really out of his control.

For the umpteenth time, Harry mumbled the things that he wanted to say to Hermione.

"I'm sorry for what happened last night. We were both drunk, you was talking about how unattractive you were and I just wanted to show you how wrong you were, _as a friend_."

Short, simple, and straight to the point. But the shortest things seemed to be the hardest ones to do, and he was thinking over and over about what Hermione could answer to this statement. Harry knew her well enough to be almost 100% sure that she had freaked out and that she had thought about it for hours even after she left. She was Hermione, the woman who could think about a problem for several hours, several days even in order to find a solution. And for now, Harry didn't have a solution for her, just some apologises, and he hoped that it would be enough.

The green-eyed wizard eventually took a deep breath, and his hand was on the phone when it suddenly rang, making him jump on the coup. James stop playing for a while, half-surprised, half-amused by his father reaction. The phone rang two times before Harry decided to pick up, clearing his voice first.

"Hello?"

He heard a scream at the other side of the phone, and he soon realised that it wasn't Hermione–why would she call him anyway after what happened between them?–.

It was his wife.

"Harry, oh God...," Ginny seemed to sob, visibly shocked to hear his voice. "I... I can't stay long, I'm using my team mate cellular at the moment. Her husband is a Muggle, so... Oh Harry, I'm so happy to be able to talk to you, you can't even imagine how much. How's James? How are things going while I'm not at home? What are you doing and what is our son doing? Tell me everything."

She stopped talking, almost out of breath, and Harry could almost see her wide smile even if she was far away, somewhere in Ireland.

"Everything is fine, I guess," he eventually found the force to answer, after shaking himself out of his torpor. "James... he is playing right next to me, actual–"

"Can you give him the phone?", she cut him off. "I want to hear his voice and I'm sure that he would be happy to hear me for a few seconds."

"Are you sure that it is a good idea?," Harry asked, looking at his son as if James would give him an answer. In return, James just cocked his head to one side, noticing his father's embarrassment.

"Why not?," Ginny almost shouted. "I mean, I'm sure that he misses me."

"Exactly. He misses you, and I'm sure that you remember about his nightmares right after your departure. As far as I know, you couldn't explain me the origin of these nightmares, and I'm pretty sure that your absence triggered his nights' terrors."

"Are you serious? Don't be silly, Harry. I just want to hear my son's voice."

"Please, Ginny..."

Harry couldn't stop thinking about these nights that he had spent in James' bedroom, trying to calm him down for several hours, with little success every time. He could almost see his face red from crying over and over, and he knew inwardly that it was a bad idea for James to hear his mother's voice at this exact moment, three weeks after things calmed down.

"But you're coming home in a month, aren't you?," Harry insisted. "I know that you miss him, but you have to underst–"

"_You_ don't understand!," Ginny shouted, irritated by this conversation. "I just want to hear my son, don't you get it? He's a baby, he will get over it in a few days, so what's the big deal? I don't even know if I'll have the opportunity to come home at the end of the first three-months training, I don't–..."

She started to cry, and Harry felt his heart break a little. His wife was crying because he didn't want to let her hear their son's babbling. His wife was crying because she was far from her family, and he wasn't helping her to go through this hard time. A small part of him was screaming that she had chosen to go through it, and that it wasn't _his fault, _but then every little thing that he had done the previous night returned to him. He had cheated on her, and now, she was crying because of him, even if she didn't know what he had done while she wasn't there. How ironic, Harry thought, still listening to Ginny's little sobs and James' babbling.

"Please," she insisted, and Harry sighed while putting her on speaker.

"He's listening to you," he muttered, his attention focused on James who still had his favourite toy in his little hands.

"James?," Ginny said in a strangled voice. "It's mummy, my little boy. I miss you so much..."

James' expression hardened, as if he was trying to understand what was happening. He was listening to his mother's voice, but he had no idea where this pleasant sound was coming from. He stayed still, not knowing if he had to make a sound or to remain silent.

"James?," Ginny insisted. "Mummy is currently away, but I promise you that I will come back soon, and we will get back to our previous life, I promise," she said in a whisper, wanting to elicit a reaction from her son. "Can he hear me?," she concluded, mainly to Harry's attention.

"He's staring at the phone. I bet that he has no idea about what is going on."

"Alright..." his wife accepted her defeat with a sigh. "I love you, Jamie, and I can't wait to hug you. Be nice with daddy."

Harry put the phone back next to his ear, and waited for her to continue to talk.

"I can't stay, Harry... I've always thought that this phone was useless, but now I'm not so sure," she said in a laugh. "I love you, and I can't wait to hug you."

"That's what you said to your son," Harry couldn't help but smile.

"I know. Well, what do you think of "I love you, and I can't wait to kiss you"?"

"Much better."

"I'll try to write you a letter soon, but I can't promise you anything. Training is awful these days. Take care of both of you, okay?"

Harry nodded, but soon realised that she couldn't see his movement.

"Yes," he blurted. "Yes, I'll do it. Take care of yourself too."

"Bye."

She hung up, and Harry stayed long seconds with the phone still in his hand.

He needed almost a whole minute to realise that he didn't even say to his wife that he loved her.

* * *

**I apologise for the shortness of this chapter. I'm working since Tuesday, and it's quite hard to find time to write, I admit it. Thank you for your kind words, really, I'm blessed to have readers like you, and trust me, I mean it. Things are slowly settled down in my flat, so well, good news. I hope that you'll forgive me this time because I didn't find some time to answer you personally: I'm tired as hell, and all I want right now is my bed. Let's see this short chapter as a gift for being so nice to me. :) **

**Thank you for reading me.**


	9. I Need You

**Disclaimer**: **I own nothing but the plot.**

* * *

**Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic**

_"One more move and there's no looking back_

_I won't pull away now, forever by the wayside"_

_**Anna Nalick - Car Crash**_

* * *

Flourish and Blotts was in a turmoil at this time of the year. The young wizards and witches who were about to begin their schooling at Hogwarts were excited to have their books – but Hermione was sure that they were more excited about the fact to buy new things, not to use them in a near future – and to meet their future classmates.

With a smile, Hermione Granger gave a copy of _Magical Drafts and Potions_ to the little blonde girl who were staring at her with wide eyes.

"Here you go. Do you need anything else?"

"N–no, Miss Granger. T–thank you," she stammered, her book close to her chest, before turning around.

Hermione pursed her lips in amusement; it wasn't the first time she met someone intimidated by her. The War had reached its end ten years prior, but the memory of this dark period of the Wizarding World was still vivid in people's mind. These children had grown with the memory of this War, they had heard so many things about Voldemort, and, of course, the man who had defeated him, Harry Potter. But Harry wasn't the only one to be famous; Hermione was usually named, along with every member of the Order of the Phoenix. It was nice to know that her contribution to the War hadn't been forgotten, but sometimes, she just wanted to be like every other person. Unfortunately, that was easier to say than to be, but she was happy to notice that the fuss about the "Golden Trio" had calmed down with time passing by. Now, she just had to deal with shy smiles and some congratulation from time to time.

Working at Flourish and Blotts was something new to Hermione. She had had to discover a new way to deal with things, totally different than teaching at Hogwarts. Here, no one expected from her to give her opinion about books, to recommend one instead another. They just wanted her to do her job, which was to sell as much as possible. Her boss, a middle-age and haughty man, had warned her several times during the last week about her attitude, but she couldn't help but doing what she believed a real bookseller would do: help the customers to find the book that they would cherish during months and months.

It was almost five o'clock, but the bookshop was still full of people, students or not. Diagon Alley was crowded, and Hermione was tired by her day. Fortunately, a glance at her watch elicited a sigh of relief from the young woman; she would soon be able to come back home.

"Granger, come here."

The annoying and high-pitched voice of her boss shook her out of her torpor, and Hermione made her way toward the dozen of students who where staring at the last best-seller of Rita Skeeter, based upon the rise and fall of the Ministers of Magic. When she eventually joined Rufus Tertington, he whipped his thin glasses from his nose, a sinister look over his face. He was with another man, younger than him and with a smile that denoted with her baleful superior.

"Granger, let me introduce you Daniel Gathy. Since you seem to be incapable of working like I want you to work, I hired him to help you," he explained with a smirk.

Hermione raised an eyebrow, not expecting something like this. She couldn't turn her attention on Daniel Gathy, since she was eager to know more about this sudden decision.

"I beg your pardon? I am here since a week, and I thought–"

"Obviously, you thought wrong," Mr. Tertington cut her off. "We are not at Hogwarts here, Granger, and, for your information, no one cares about your opinion about books here. You need to learn _how to sell_ books, we are not in a library. I expect to see you tomorrow morning at eight. Have a pleasant night," he almost purred, his bald face close to hers before turning around and heading to his office behind the cash register.

Hermione stayed still, staring at Rufus Tertington while he disappeared behind heavy door of his office. She then started to shook her head slightly, as if she couldn't believe what had just happened. She didn't even hear the little noise that Daniel Gathy made with his throat to catch her attention; he needed to wave his hand in front of her face to do so.

"Earth to Moon, are you receiving me?," he asked with a grin, showing his white teeth to the whole world.

Hermione eventually focused her attention on him, and noted how tall he was. Ron was tall, but Daniel was even taller, if it was possible. His dark hair looked like Harry's unstructured one, and his brown eyes were made of the brightest shade that Hermione had ever had the occasion to see.

"Yes...," she muttered, disturbed by his appearance. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. Hermione Granger," she introduced herself with her hand out.

"Daniel Gathy," he said while shaking her hand. "I am the one who should be sorry. I didn't want to meet you in such circumstances."

"It's not your fault. To be honest, I prefer to know that you are the one who is going to help me instead of Mr. Tertington."

"Good point. I had to deal with him two years ago, and I admit that it was awful. With some luck, I'll be better than him when it comes to help you to learn his _selling tricks_".

She smiled back at him, happy to know that she wasn't the only one who didn't like her superior.

"No luck needed here. I am sure that you will be better than him, it's not really hard to be honest."

"You'll have to learn more about me before saying something like this. Maybe we could have a drink together? It seems to me that your day is almost over."

All of a sudden, right before Hermione had the time to retort something, a babel of noises came from the entrance of the bookshop, and Hermione turned her attention to the dozen of customers who headed to it. With a frown, she followed them to see what was happening, and she could eventually hear some whispers along the way.

"It's him..."

"_No. Way._"

"I'm sure that I recognised his scar...," a young woman muttered, her daughter's into her arms.

And she was right. Hermione had to work her way into the crowd, and almost a minute later, she was next to Harry. James was in his arms, and he was smiling at the teenagers who were handing him their books to have an autograph.

"I'm sorry, but I definitely cannot do it with my son in my arms...," he apologised softly, not realising that Hermione was just a few feet from him.

"What are you doing here?," she asked, and Harry quickly turned around to see the owner of this pleasant voice.

"Hello to you too," he retorted with a smile, trying to set aside the fact that a bunch of people was looking at them.

"It's not safe for you to be here with James on top of that."

"Then you should have answered to my numerous phone calls," Harry explained.

"I was... busy."

"And you are now?," he cocked his head to one side.

Hermione looked at Daniel, chewing her lower lip at the same time. He nodded with a smile before disappearing behind the cash register, giving her the authorisation that she was seeking for without even realising it.

"I am not," she muttered, doing her best to look at James and not his father.

"Can we go to a quiet place then?," he asked, hope in his voice.

James started to moan, visibly not happy to be here, surrounded by a lot of people, and Hermione gave up.

"Alright, let's go to my place."

**XxX**

"Why did you hesitate?," Harry's voice came from the sitting room right after he closed the door of Hermione's bedroom. James was currently sleeping in her bed, visibly tired by his day.

In the kitchen, Hermione stopped her movement for a fraction of second, before resuming what she was doing. The two cup of tea full, she brought them into the living room.

"I'm sorry?," she asked while handing him one of the cups.

"When we were at Flourish and Blotts. You hesitated before accepting my invitation."

She sat in the armchair and shrugged.

"I don't know."

"Who is he?," Harry asked, and he was almost surprised by the serious tone that he took to ask her this question.

"I've just met him," Hermione dismissed with a wave of hand. "We are going to work together, that's all."

"He's handsome," the green-eyed wizard insisted.

"I've just met him," Hermione repeated with a sigh before looking at the door of her bedroom where James was asleep. "He seems tired."

"He didn't sleep well last night. And the night before. And the night before again," Harry explained, his jaw clenched.

"His nightmares again?"

Her best friend nodded. "Ginny called a week ago, right after... _You know_. She wanted to talk to James, and here's the result. I should have said no."

"I guess that it's difficult to say to the mother of your child that she can't talk to him," Hermione tried to comfort him. "You weren't supposed to know that this would happen."

"Like I wasn't supposed to know that you would do your best to avoid me after what happened between us next week?," Harry let out in a laugh, an almost cynical smile over his face.

Hermione looked down at her cup of tea. She knew that that was exactly what she had done during the last few days; avoiding him. She had disconnected her phone, and had returned the two letters that Harry had sent. What could she possibly say to him? That she was terribly ashamed by what they had done? That she couldn't stare at her reflection in the mirror because it reminded her how awful to her friend she had been?

"It was a mistake," she muttered, still not daring to look at Harry's green eyes.

"It's not a mistake if we both enjoyed it," Harry swiftly retorted, and this unexpected answer was enough to make Hermione look up at him.

"It's not a reason for you to say something like that," she said, frowning. "It was... disrespectful and... wrong on so many levels. You a–"

"You didn't deny that you enjoyed it," Harry interrupted her, doing his best to hide a smile of triumph.

"Wh... You... Did you say this to make me admit that I liked it?," Hermione stammered, a horrified expression over her face.

"I'm just saying that it's not a viable option for both of us to act like anything happened, or worse, to be horrified by what we did. Even if we were quite drunk, I don't regret it. You needed me that night, and... well, maybe that I needed you too. Maybe that I still need you."

For the first time in the last fourteen years, Hermione saw something different in the bottom of Harry's eyes. What she had always seen in these green and vivid eyes was friendship, pride, and sometime admiration. But never, oh never, had she seen this mixture of sentiments in Harry's eyes. It couldn't be described as love, or lust, or even attraction. It was different; he seemed to care for her, at another level than friendship, to truly care for her.

And despite the fact that she knew that what she was about to say was forbidden, she didn't think twice before opening her mouth and let the words escaped it.

"I'm not horrified by what we did. Well, I am, in a way, but I'm horrified because I liked it, Harry. And I shouldn't have liked it since, as far as I know, you are married," she explained with a delusional smile. "I don't want you to pity me, or something. I really don't."

"I don't pity you."

"Come on, Harry. We both know that you kissed me because I said these things about how unattractive I think I am. You care for me, and I appreciate that, I truly do, but don't make me believe that there is something between us when it is obviously not the case."

She bit her lower lip, not wanting to be overwhelmed by her feelings at this exact moment. Harry looked down at his hands around his cup of tea, disturbed by what the young woman had just said.

A silence settled between them, and after long minutes, Hermione started to drink her tea.

"You should drink it, it will be cold otherwise," she muttered.

"Why are you so stubborn, Hermione?" Harry asked in a calm voice, before mechanically bringing his cup of tea to his mouth and drinking the still hot beverage.

"I am not," Hermione retorted.

"You are since you obviously want to forget the most important part of what I've just said."

"Which is?," the brunette asked before putting her cup of tea back onto the coffee table.

Harry did the same, and after a few seconds of reflection, he eventually said it again.

"_I need you_."

* * *

**Thank you for your always cheerful reviews and for following this story. Life is still a rollercoaster, I've got the feeling that I'm living in a drama sometimes, but oh well...** **The good part is that I always get back on my feet, right? **

**See you soon.**


	10. Complications

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

**Little note: **This chapter is even better while listening to _**Saturn**_ from Sleeping At Last. ;)

* * *

**Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic**

_"You taught me the courage of stars before you left_

_How light carries on endlessly, even after death"_

_**Sleeping At Last - Saturn**_

* * *

"Stop it."

Hermione's voice was just a murmur, but it was lout enough to be heard. Harry swallowed hard, disturbed by her reaction to his declaration. Of course, he hadn't thought that she would jump into his arms and profess an unconditional love – it wasn't what he wanted to be honest –, but he had thought that maybe... maybe there was a chance for her to reciprocate his feelings.

These feelings had taken a few weeks to come to life, to become real. He had spent so many quality time with Hermione and James during the last two months, and he had started to see her into a different light. Harry had first noticed how changed she was since their time at Hogwarts, something that he hadn't had the opportunity to see during the ten last years. She had fill a hole in his life, in his son's life, and he couldn't help but think that maybe something could grow between the two of us.

"Herm–"

"I said "_stop it_"," she repeated louder this time before swiftly getting up, taking her cup of tea with her.

Harry looked at her while she headed to the kitchen, disappearing in a second without even saying another word. With a sigh, he got up to and followed her, just to see her leaning on the kitchen sink, her head slightly bent over and her shoulders moving at the slow pace of her breath. From where he was, Harry was seeing a preoccupied woman, a stressful one who didn't know what to do with her whole life. He thought about taking a step toward her, but at the same time, he didn't want to frighten her. Frightening her was the last thing that he wanted to do.

Hermione's cup of tea was in the sink, and she was staring at it like it was her salvation. Except that Harry didn't plan to leave her house anytime soon – at least not without a discussion.

His arms crossed over his chest, he leaned on the fridge, and gathered all his courage to tell her everything that he wanted her to know.

"You can't tell people to stop talking just because you're afraid of what they are about to say, Hermione," he began, taking his time to say each word. "You can't freak out when it comes to your own feelings."

Hermione stayed still, but Harry was relieved to notice that she was at least listening to him. He went on.

"Because this is the problem here, isn't it? You are afraid because we both liked the moment that we shared a week ago. You are afraid because you realise that if I wanted you to be here with James and I, if you weren't reluctant to spend some nights with us – with me –, it was for a reason."

The only reaction that Hermione got was to shake her head. Her long and auburn hair moved around her shoulders, but the denial didn't reach her mouth; she was still refusing to talk to him.

"Please, say something," Harry sighed, waiting for a sign from his friend. "I feel something for you, and even if I couldn't properly explain what it is... I know that it's _here_, and that I can't hide it any longer."

A minute passed, and Harry was starting to think that nothing would be enough to make Hermione talk at this point. But, while he was loosing the last glimpse of hope that he had left, she slowly turned around, and he eventually met her eyes – her eyes full of tears that didn't seem to want to fall onto her rosy cheeks. The first thing that the green-eyed wizard thought about was to take her into his arms and to ask her if everything was alright; but given the situation, he decided to wait for her to talk to him; which she did after a few moments.

"There is something that you seem to deliberately forget, Harry," she muttered before wiping her eyes as if nothing had happened. "I cannot do this to Ginny. I cannot tear a family apart just because, for a second, some feelings came out of nowhere and overwhelmed me. We were not supposed to be together in the first place, Harry. You did what you needed to do when you married Ginny, and you two have a beautiful son. I just can't do this to James, to Ginny... or to you," she concluded in a breath.

"Ginny is out of the picture," Harry insisted, just to see Hermione shake her head vehemently.

"No, she's not. She is training, Harry, she is supposed to come home in a few weeks, and then again at Christmas, and in June, everything will be fine between the two of you," she explained, but Harry noticed how much it costed her to say these things; her voice was hoarse, as if she was doing her best to retain her tears, but she went on nonetheless. "You are just _thinking_ that something can happen between us because you feel lonely; because you want her to be here, and she's not. And trust me when I say that I totally understand what you are going through, but..."

Hermione paused for a second, seeking for air, her eyes closed for a fraction of second. She was determined when she opened them again.

"But you can't come here and make me believe in things that aren't going to happen in a near future, or in the future at all. It's not how friendship works, Harry."

"We are not just friends...," Harry muttered, defeated by what she'd just said.

_Was she right?_, he thought. Was he acting like a jerk because he wanted to find a replacement to Ginny? All things considered, everything was alright between them until his wife decided to leave without even a proper explanation, without any forerunner. She had taken her decision alone, and for that, Harry had been resentful – and he still was. Was it a reason enough to leave her though? Probably not. But being in love with someone else could be, and he knew it.

Inwardly, he _knew_ that Ginny's absence wasn't the reason why he wanted to be so close to Hermione. Even if he knew that it was forbidden, that it was wrong to feel like this toward her, he couldn't help but feel these things. The kiss that they had shared had made him realise that he wanted Hermione to have another place in his life, to be something different than just a friend.

Her chestnut eyes were staring at him, and he didn't know what to say or do to make her realise that he wasn't playing with her.

"I don't think that it is a good idea for us to see each other so often," Hermione said, not giving him the opportunity to explain his feelings any further.

"What?," Harry interjected, his green eyes wide open.

Hermione bit her lower lip, a little frown on her forehead.

"We can't let it happen," she explained softly. "I can't let you do this to your family."

"You are not the problem, Hermione, please understand that. I don't want to lose you."

"You will not lose me, I promise. It's just... I need some space to think about it, about what we share. It's not a healthy relationship that we are sharing. Look... I am at your house almost three times a week, I learned to take care of James like he is my own son, while we both know that it's not the case. We eat together, we go to the park sometimes together, like the _perfect family_. What would people think of it? Most of the time, we are in public in the Muggle world, but what if it happen on Diagon Alley for example? What do you think people would say about us in the newspapers? It will destroy your family, it will destroy the Weasleys..."

"My family is already a ruin, Hermione. Like I said, you are not the problem. The problem is between Ginny and I..."

"And you'll find a way to figure it out," she interrupted him with a sad smile. "She will be back in three weeks if she managed to have her authorisation, right? I'm sure that things will be better once she'll be here."

Hermione nodded, as if she wanted to persuade herself that Harry and Ginny could find a way to be back together without too much damage.

"Stop this nonsense, Hermione, you know that there is no way for us to start again like nothing happened..."

"It's not a reason for me to interfere in your life," she explained calmly, as if she wasn't moved by what Harry was saying to her. "I am your friend, Harry, and I need to do what is better for you."

"Don't you dare say that you know what is the best for me," Harry warned her, disenchanted by this discussion with the person he thought was feeling the same toward him.

Hermione took a few steps in his direction, and hesitated during a second – could she take his hands between hers or not? –, but eventually, she just stared at him.

"You need your family. James needs his parents," she muttered, her voice almost breaking at the end of her sentence. "That is what you really need," she concluded, echoing what Harry had said to her back in the living room.

"And what do you need, Hermione?," Harry insisted, his hand caressing her left cheek, forcing her to close her eyes not to show him how moved she was by his proximity.

"I need you to be happy," she whispered, wanting this moment not to end anytime soon.

Unfortunately, Harry eventually let his hand leave Hermione's face, and he nodded.

"I just have another question," he said, and she looked up at him.

"Yes?"

"What do you want, Hermione? What do you want for yourself? For once, don't think about anyone else, just think about you and what you truly desire," Harry asked in a low voice.

What would he do if she said that she wanted him, that she wanted to build a relationship with him? Talking to Ginny would be the first thing to do, of course, along with finding a way to spare James too much stress. After all, his son was the one he needed to protect.

Hermione tried to avoid his gaze, but she eventually gave up. What Harry read into her chestnut eyes was the answer that he needed the most: she wanted him, it was obvious. She wanted to start something with him, she wanted to give them a try, she...

"You should leave, Harry. It's getting late, and if you don't wake James up now, he would not be able to sleep properly tonight," she quickly said before heading to the kitchen sink and put some water into her cup of tea.

"You can't do this, Hermione, not now...," he sighed out of despair.

Harry was just seeing her back, but he knew that she was doing her best not to say the only thing that could change their lives forever. He realised then that it was just a matter of bad timing. Why hadn't he seen before that Hermione was more than _Hermione, _that she was a brilliant woman who could be the one for him? Why was he married, for Merlin's sake? He loved Ginny, yes, and he was aware that she had given him an amazing son, but the feelings that he had for his wife couldn't be compared to what he was feeling for Hermione right now; Hermione wasn't the one who had left him, Hermione wasn't the one who had ran away without even thinking about his feelings or James' ones.

"Please, Harry," she insisted in a whisper, still not looking at him.

He waited for what seemed to be hours, but eventually, he gave up.

"Alright. Good evening. You know where I live if... if you want to talk."

Hermione didn't say anything back, and she just listened to him while he headed to her bedroom to pick James up. A few moments after, she heard the usual sound of Apparition, and she finally bursted into tears, letting herself slide on the floor, her arms around her knees.

"You did the best thing, you did," she muttered to herself during hours, trying to convince herself of the thruth of her words.

But it wasn't enough for her to forget the pain that she was enduring.

* * *

**Wow, a chapter two days after the last one? I guess that I deserve a bunch of reviews, right? :D**

**Thank you to everyone who took a few moments to write me, it is always a pleasure to read your thoughts about this story.** **Some of your remarks really help me to see this story through other eyes, and, trust me, if you weren't there, this story would be really different. Every insight helps me to improve this story, and so far, the path that I'm taking with these characters right now is different from what I thought in the first place.**

**So don't hesitate to let me know what you think. It is amazing to read so many different opinions. **

**See you soon.**


	11. To Be In Your Arms

**Disclai****mer: I own nothing but the plot.**

**Edit: i realise now that the end of this chapter was confusing. But the upcoming chapter is clear in my mind, and I don't want you to be disturbed. That's the reason why I wrote the last paragraph again. **

* * *

**Every Little Thing She Does is Magic**

_"Yet I know, if I stepped aside,_  
_ Released the controls, you would open my eyes._  
_ That somehow, all of this mess_  
_ Is just an attempt to know the worth of my life…_

_... Made of precious metals, _

_Inside"_

**_Sleeping At Last - Mercury_**

* * *

**A week later**

**Early September  
**

Harry Potter, son of the prankster James Potter, was definitely not in a good mood that day. He had decided to completely stop working two days before, not wanting to spend a few hours every week at the Burrow and listening to Molly complained about how he needed to write to his wife more often.

"She sent me a letter last week, Harry, and she is terrified about the fact of being so far from James and you...," the Weasley matriarch had said with tears in her eyes. "You are meant for each other, and I don't want you to forgive that juste because she left for a year."

Harry had nodded, but it was just because he didn't want to make a scandal in front of James. Inwardly, he wanted to scream, to say to Molly that she didn't understand what was currently happening in his life, that he didn't even know if he wanted to continue his married life with Ginny at this point.

But he just nodded.

Distracted by James' babbling, Harry was staring at the parchment on the coffee table right in front of him. He had received it the day prior, but so far, he hadn't opened it. The thin writing of Ginny covered the first page, and he didn't even if he wanted to read what she wanted to say to him. Eventually, he let out a sigh and took the piece of parchment in his almost shaking hands and unfolded it.

"_My love,_

_Someone once said that "no news, good news", right? Let us hope that he was right then. _

_I have my authorisation to come back home next weekend. And to be honest, I hope that things will be alright when I'll come back. Don't you dare say that everything is fine between the two of us. I'm trying, I do my best to cheer you up when I write you a letter, or when I have the opportunity to have you through the phone but... I have the feeling that you are still mad at me for some reasons. _

_And it is not just that. Since James' birth, we are both different, you know? I learned to be a mum and it changed me. I realised that I hadn't had the opportunity to make the things that I wanted to do back at Hogwarts, and that James could definitely forbid me to do these things, such as playing as a professional Quidditch player. But I grabbed my chance, and I am happy about it right now. The only thing that I ever wanted was you to be happy for me too. _

_As for you... You are not happy for me, and it hurts. It really hurts, Harry, because I thought that you would encourage me in every possible way to achieve my dream, and you aren't. You are just laconically answering to my letters – sometimes not –, and I have the feeling that something is broken between us since June. _

_I don't want to lose everything that we created since we left Hogwarts. You are a famous Auror, and soon I'll be an equally famous Quidditch player. James couldn't have better parents, and we have to be here for him. _

_Moreover, the club wants me to sign with them for the three upcoming seasons. They wanted a quick answer, and since you didn't answer to my previous letters in time... Well, I said yes. I'll be traveling a lot even after my training, but I am sure that we will find a way to see each other at least once a week this time. I will even be able to take James with me sometimes: this way, he will be with his mum more often._

_Please don't blame me for wanting to have a career like you._

_I can't wait to see you in a little more than a week. _

_I love you, _

_Ginny_"

Harry read this letter several times, and, even if Ginny was saying how hurt she was, he was just seeing how not in love with him she was. She wanted to be with him, of course, like a _perfect couple_; she wanted James to have his two parents by his side, and he could understand that. But to know that, once again, she had taken such a hard decision on her own... He didn't even know if he needed to cry or laugh about this nonsensical situation.

How could she say that she loved him? How could she throw something that big to his face right after saying that she had taken such a huge decision without even talking about the implications of it?

During the almost last three months, he had learned to live without her, and during this short among of time, he had realised that their lives, what they had builded together, wasn't based upon true love. Love was different; love wasn't the fact of being just proud of your partner's career, or your partner's celebrity. Through her letters, Ginny had made him realise that she was in love with his _image_. She was in love with Harry Potter, son of James Potter and Lily Evans; she was in love with the Boy-Who-Lived, and now, she wanted her equal among of celebrity. Harry didn't even know if he could blame her for that. This, the whole celebrity thing, was a part of him, and he couldn't get rid of it even if he wanted to.

But the last thing that he wanted was to stay with someone who was not genuinely in love with him just because they had a son together. This wasn't the kind of family that he wanted to have.

Slowly, Harry turned his attention to James, and saw that his little boy was staring at him, his usual toy into his right hand. His green eyes were wide open, and he threw up his hands in the air, urging his father to take care of him. With a smile, Harry got up for the sofa and took James into his arms, kissing his cheek at the same time.

"I guess that you prefer to have a happy father instead of a desperate one, don't you Jamie?," he muttered next to his ear, smelling his usual baby scent at the same time.

James started to clap his hands, not knowing that he was giving to his father the answer that he needed since a few weeks.

**XxX**

It was late in the afternoon when Hermione eventually came home. With a profound sigh, she get rid of her shoes in the entrance corridor of her flat and headed toward the sofa, with just one idea in mind: to lay down and to never get up from this soft and comfortable place.

Her boss had been as despicable as ever, and working with Daniel was a relief after all. They were nice to each other, and she had learned more about running a bookshop with him than with Rufus Tertington. A few times, he had tried to invite her to have a drink with him, but she had always said no. Not that she didn't want to be his friend; but she had noticed that he wanted to have more than a friendship with her, and she couldn't give him what he wanted. She had been flattered to notice his lure, but she couldn't help but continue to think about what Harry had told her a week ago.

Hermione hadn't contacted him since then, and so far, Harry hadn't done it either. It was for the best, she thought while gazing at the ceiling, her head on a bunch of cushions. She didn't know if she could see him given the situation.

Several times during last week, she had made dreams portraying Harry and her, dreams that made her blush anytime she was thinking about it.

She didn't want to admit it, but she _wanted_ to be with him. She had never felt something so strong for anyone, even Ron, and it scared her. It wasn't appropriate of her – or of him – to have these feelings toward her best friend, and it wasn't her type to break a relationship, no matter how damaged it was in the first place. Because yes, Hermione knew that things were difficult between Harry and Ginny since she had left, but there was always a little glimpse of hope, even if Harry didn't want to think about it at the moment.

She couldn't take the risk to develop a relationship with him while he was still married, just to know a few weeks later that he would return to Ginny because he loved her wife.

Hermione took a deep breath, and when she was about to close her eyes in order to take a nap, someone knocked at the entrance door. A frown over her face, she got up from the sofa, not knowing who it could be; she wasn't expecting anyone today.

When she opened the door, her surprise was total.

"Harry?"

The tall man in front of her ran a stressful hand into his black hair, swiftly revealing his scar on his forehead. It was always _different_ to see him without his glasses.

"What are you doing here?," she asked when he didn't utter a single word.

"I wanted t–... Can I come in?"

Hermione thought about it for a fraction a second, but eventually she nodded.

"Yes, of course," she mumbled before giving him some space to enter into her flat. "Where is James?"

"Oh... I found this nursery a few blocks from where I live, and they take care of him when I can't. He made a new friend, actually, her name is Clara," he continued with a grin.

The young woman wanted to make a joke about it, but she realised that now wasn't the time to do such a silly thing. The atmosphere in the room was almost unbearable, and Harry followed her into the living room.

"Do you want something to drink?," she offered. "I guess that I have a few things left in the fridge, I didn't have the time nor the desire to go to the grocery store after my day at work, sorry."

"Don't apologise," Harry retorted. "I am not here to loot your fridge. I'd prefer to talk to you if you don't mind."

Of course, Hermione thought. Why would Harry be here if he didn't want to talk to her? She remembered about their last encounter, a week ago, and how bad it ended. She had spent the night into her bedroom, her head buried into her pillow, asking herself how such a thing could have happened between the two of them. They had been friends for so long, they had shared to many things in the name of their unbreakable friendship, and here she was, wondering if she could share something different, something stronger with him.

They sat on the couch, and Hermione started to play with her hands nervously.

"I've received a letter from Ginny," Harry stated in a neutral voice.

"Oh, great. How is she?"

"Good, I guess. I've answered her this morning."

He didn't continue, and Hermione gave him a side-glance.

"Gr–great then. Will she be able to come home soon?"

"Yes, she is supposed to arrive in a week and a half if I remember well."

Hermione smiled at him, but her leg started to nervously shake.

"It will be good for James and you to see her after all this time."

Harry looked up at her, and shook his head in denial.

"I plan to break up with her, Hermione," he said in a low voice, staring at her the whole time, as if he wanted to notice every emotion on her face. "And don't think that it is because of you. You have nothing to do with this decision."

The young woman breathed calmly, totally contrasting with her heart that was beating faster and faster into her chest.

"In my letter, I said that we weren't on the same wavelength and that I need to talk to her once she'll be here. She is already aware that I am more and more distant since her departure, but it isn't because of you," he repeated, his hand on her thigh. "I don't want you to think that you are the reason why my family isn't one anymore. You are not the problem, Hermione, _you are my salvation_," he concluded in a breath.

Hermione frowned slightly, as if she had trouble to understand what Harry was saying to her.

"You... you mean..."

"I mean that I can't stay with someone who doesn't see us as a couple and who takes all the decision by herself. I mean that I can't stay with someone who seems to be more interested by my Auror career than who I really am inside. I mean that this whole situation made me understand that I can't raise my son in the best conditions if I'm not happy myself," Harry explained, short of breath at the end of his tirade.

Hermione felt a tear form into her left eye, and she quickly closed them not to let it fall. A hand on her cheek, Harry forced her to look at him.

"You told me that you wanted me to be happy, Hermione...," he said slowly. "And as far as I know, you are the one who makes me happy. I can't promise you a perfect life, I'm sure that it will not be easy with Ginny around until things are properly done between us, but I know that we can be happy together, if you just let me try..."

The first time they kissed, Harry had been the one who took the lead. This time, Hermione didn't think twice, and her mouth crushed over Harry's lips, tasting him like it was the first time. A moan escaped her partly open lips, and for the first time in weeks, she felt _truly happy_. He was here, the man she loved, he was here right into her arms, and he was caressing her back under her t-shirt with his large hands.

"It this a yes?," Harry breathed close to her lips.

"_Yes_... Yes, I want you," Hermione answered, unable to hide her smile of happiness.

How had she done to put her feelings aside during all this time? When Harry helped her to get rid of her t-shirt, she knew that there was no looking back. There was no way for either of them to reverse their decision to be together, and that was the most important.

_Everything will be alright now_, Hermione thought when Harry's hands moved from her back to her hair, playing with her curls like no one had done before. She was in the safest place ever : into the arms of the man who had made her realise that she could be love by someone.

* * *

**Damn, with all these updates, I think that I deserve to hit the 150 reviews mark soon, don't you think?** **And since Harry and Hermione are officially an item (to our eyes at least), your words are even more appreciated right now. **

**What do you think of this chapter? Too fast? I know that Harry needs to talk to Ginny first, but hey, I couldn't let him think about it for a week and a half without giving some hope to our dear Hermione.**

**Moreover, I think about moving this story to M (yes, again...). Let me know what you think. **

**Anyway, thank you for your reviews for the last chapter, I am always amazed to see thow involved you are into this story, I really am. So thank you. :)**


	12. Don't Tell Me That It Is Over

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

* * *

**Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic**

_"Tell me it's over, _

_Love, is it over now? _

_Tell me it's over,_

_Please."_

_**Kina Grannis - Winter**_

* * *

Hermione shivered when she felt Harry's hands trying to take off her bra. Nevertheless, she continued to kiss him back, amazed and confused at the same time. It was her best friend who was here, it was her best friend who was caressing her body with ease, like he had done it during all his life. She buried her hands into his black hair and couldn't help but moan against his mouth, overwhelmed by every little thing that he was doing to her.

When Harry finally managed to untie her bra, Hermione froze, not knowing what to do. Her lover moved his hands to her shoulders in order to remove entirely the last piece of clothing that was preventing him from looking at her breast, but suddenly, Hermione put her hands onto his to stop him.

Harry broke the kiss, slightly frowning. His green eyes were asking her a silent question, and Hermione shamelessly tied her bra back, shaking her head at the same time.

"Is something wrong?," Harry asked in a murmur, visibly concerned by her reaction.

"No," she retorted quickly. "No, everything is fine," she said while putting her t-shirt back.

"Everything is fine, really?"

"I just didn't expect us to go this far so soon," she admitted, looking up at him to see what his reaction to this confession would be. She was disappointed when she saw him smile a little.

"And do you think that I came here just in order to shag your brain out?," Harry let out in a chuckle, making Hermione blush.

"Of course not," she swiftly answered. "But... But I don't think that I'm ready yet for this kind of things," she finished, her cheeks red.

Harry nodded and didn't say anything back before a long moment.

"It's weird, isn't it?" he eventually asked, with no sign of amusement into his green eyes.

Hermione immediately understood what he was talking about.

"Yes, it is," she sighed. "I mean... I know you since so long, and I would never have thought about _us_ like that. Moreover, you cannot say that the circumstances are optimal."

"They are not. And I would totally understand if you'd prefer to wait until I talk to Ginny before taking our relationship to another level, Hermione. I am not a teenager anymore, I think that I can keep my hormones under control for a week or so," Harry concluded with a grin.

Hermione smiled back, relieved to see that Harry was comprehensive about it. He had always been like that toward her, she realised. Of course, from time to time, he didn't understand her reticences about things, but even if he didn't understand, he was respectful about her decisions, and it was the most important thing to her eyes.

When he left her flat that evening with a last and chaste kiss, Hermione closed the door behind him with the most amazing feeling at the bottom of her heart: for once, she felt loved, and, even if she knew that this relationship would be made of ups and downs, she knew that Harry and her could face everything together.

**XxX**

"Hello?" Hermione quickly said right after picking up the phone, her left high-heeled shoe into her hand.

"Hermione? It's me, Harry," a low voice answered her.

"No, I won't be late," she sighed. I'm sorry, I admit that I spent quite some time in the bathr–"

They were supposed to have dinner together at a charming place that Harry had found earlier in the week in the heart of London, and Hermione was stressed about it. It was the first time that she had the opportunity to see him alone since their last encounter at her own flat a week earlier, and she had even asked to her boss to leave one hour earlier today in order not to be late. But she wasn't late yet, so why was Harry calling?

"No, don't worry about that," he gently cut her off, and Hermione noticed the embarrassment in his voice. "I'm the one who should be sorry to be honest. I hate to cancel things – especially when it comes to you –, but I won't be able to have dinner with you tonight."

Hermione put her shoe down, and swallowed hard to make this ball in her throat disappear.

"Oh," she muttered, doing her best to hide her disappointment through the phone. "It's fine."

"No, it's not, and I'm sorry," Harry insisted. "There's been a slight hitch."

Hermione sat on the sofa, frowning.

"What kind of hitch?"

"Ginny is about to come home. Tonight."

She quickly counted into her head: Ginny was supposed to come back from Ireland on Friday night, not Thursday.

"She managed to leave one day earlier," Harry explained, not letting her the time to ask the question that was burning her lips.

"Alright," Hermione said automatically. She wanted to ask him what he was about to say to his _wife_, but she didn't have the guts to do it. "Alright," she repeated in a weak voice, "I'll talk to you later then."

"No, don't hang up so fast. I just want you to know that nothing have changed between us, okay?"

She nodded, before realising that Harry couldn't see her from where he was. "Yes, I know. Good luck for this weekend. I'm here if you need me."

"Thank you. James have asked me to send you a kiss, so..."

"You liar," Hermione smiled. "But I take the kiss and I send one back to James; to him only," she specified.

"What a lucky little boy," Harry chuckled, and for one moment, he seemed to forget about the fact that he was about to have one hell of a discussion in a few moments. "Good evening, Hermione."

"Good evening, Harry."

**XxX**

He had prepared everything for Ginny's arrival. James had taken a bath earlier, and he had already eaten too. His son was currently on the sofa, a few toys spread in front of him, and Harry was anxiously looking at the fireplace in front of them. Ginny would be here in a minute or two, and he was thinking about everything that he needed to say to her and how he needed to handle things. It promised to be a crazy night, and Harry was relieved to know that it was quite late: this way, he would be able to put James into his bedroom soon.

When the fire turned green, harry held his breath; a second later, Ginny was in front of him, a heavy suitcase into her right hand, her red hair falling freely onto her shoulders. She was smiling, and she immediately jumped into Harry's arms right after letting her suitcase fall at her feet, giving him no time to say anything. Her lips entered in contact with his, and she had to force the entrance of his mouth before he gave up.

"I missed you," she breathed against his lips when she eventually let go of him. "And I missed you too, Jamie," she said with a wide smile before taking James into her arms. "Mum missed you so much my little darling," she mused next to his ear while James started to play with her hair.

"Old habits die hard," Ginny laughed before freeing her hair from her son's little fist.

"Have you already eaten?," Harry asked, his hands buried into his trousers' pockets.

"Yes," she answered with a smile. "Which is a good thing, because we have a lot of things to talk about."

Harry simply nodded in answer, and he let James play with her until it was nine o'clock. Ginny put him into his crib, and when she came back into the living room, the smile that she had when she was playing with James was a memory.

"Do you want something to drink?" Harry asked, not knowing how to start this conversation.

"I'm at home, Harry, you don't have to ask me if I want to drink something."

"Sure. I'm sorry, it's just that I haven't seen you since a long time, and..."

"And you think that acting like I was a stranger is a good idea," she cut him off, before sitting on the sofa, right next to him. "You didn't even properly answer to my kiss," she sighed.

"What did you think would happen? You cannot come home and pretend like nothing happened."

"As far as I am concerned, it was what you were doing when you came back from your Auror's missions."

"For Merlin's sake..."

"I know," she interrupted him again while rolling her eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. It's just... You didn't even answer to most of my letters, Harry. What am I supposed to think about our relationship? About what you are feeling toward me?"

Harry hadn't thought that this moment would happen that soon in the night. They were supposed to talk casually during quite some time, he was supposed to ask her about her training, _to be nice to her_. But now, Ginny was the one who was asking these things to him, she was the one who was acting like she was the victim of this situation, and he was sick of seeing her eyes full of sadness, he was tired of everything about her.

"Are you serious?," he asked in a low voice, trying to contain himself. "These two questions, these two fucking questions are the ones that I've asked myself during three long months. I questioned myself about our so-called relationship, I wondered what your feeling toward me were made of. Pride? Love? To be honest, Ginny, I still don't have the answer to this question."

She raised a surprise eyebrow, offended by what he was telling her.

"Come on, Harry, it happened three months ago. Alright, I did something wrong when I didn't tell you first about my departure, but I didn't know that it would happen before you left for your missio–"

"Please, don't lie in front of my face, not now. We both know that you have to audition around February to have the chance to be enrolled for a Quidditch training," Harry spat.

"And so what?," she shouted out. "Now, you are going to ask me to tell you everything that I plan to do?"

"When it has an impact on our lives, on our son's life, yes, it is the least that you can do."

Ginny didn't answer right away, but she eventually sighed.

"Alright, I get it: you are pissed because I made something without telling you first. Now, can we just forget about it and think about the future?," she asked, moving on the sofa to be closer to him.

"_You don't get it_. I don't want to go through this situation again, Ginny. You did it again when you accepted this three-years contract with the Harpies; you didn't think about me, or James. You didn't even take some time to call me during this period, you were just waiting for me to send you a letter while you were the one who had all the informations. You just want things to be like you want them to be, without even thinking that maybe – just maybe – I can't do everything that you want me to do."

"So you can leave for three months and come home without any consequences and I can't?," Ginny asked, fuming.

"This isn't about me. You knew that this period of travelling wouldn't last long. As you may know, I've even stopped working to be with James. So yes, if it was a problem for you, you just had to ask and I would have quit, or at least stop travelling for my job. But you didn't do anything because you were happy to live with a famous Auror, weren't you?"

"What's the problem with that? Of course, I was happy, because you seemed to be fucking happy! Because you were well-known in the Wizarding World, and it shone all over our family. And now you are just pissed because I can be as famous as you, is that your problem?"

Harry ran a tired hand all over his face.

"You still don't get it," he sighed. "You are the one who asked about my feelings about you, when you obviously don't love me for what I am, Ginny."

He saw her swallow hard, and he realised that she was finally understanding what he was about to say. Her hands were shacking, and she started to shake her head in denial.

"No, no," she mumbled. "You can't do this to me. We have James, we are a family, Harry, just think about it..."

"I had plenty of time to think about it, Ginny. You can have everything, the house, half of my fortune, I don't care anymore. I just can't pretend to be the happy family that you think we are."

A silence settled between them, and eventually, Ginny whispered something, and Harry had to prick up his ears to understand it.

"Are – are you breaking up with me?"

Thinking about something as painful as this was one thing; saying it out loud was another, and Harry just managed to nod in the first place. After a few moments, he finally confirmed Ginny's worst fear.

"Yes," he muttered. "Yes, I'm breaking up with you."

* * *

**It was quite weird for me to write this chapter: I realised that, so far, this story - and especially Ginny and Harry's relationship - was a reflection of my own life. Unconsciously, I think that I wanted to put on paper what I really thought about these people who think on their own, who take such a heartbreaking decision alone when, obviously, you are two in a relationship. But oh well, so far, I am still with this damn boy, so... I can only blame myself here. **

**Anyway, thank you SO MUCH for your reviews on last chapter. I was thinking that it would take a couple of chapters to reach the 150 reviews' mark, but hey, you are more amazing that I thought. **

**Can we go to 200 reviews now? Haha, just kidding. Just know that I love to hear from you, and it always makes my day. Seriously, I smile from one ear to the other when I read your reviews and your opinions about this story. Some of you were concerned about how fast Harry and Hermione's relationship was, I hope that you are all satisfied now. :)  
**

**Thank you for all the love that you send me. **


	13. Words as Weapons

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.  
**

* * *

**Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic**

_I feel your knife as is goes right in_

_Cut to my core but I'm not bleeding_

_All that you say tryin' to make me small_

_Well the bigger you get, the harder you fall_

**_Birdy - Words As Weapons_**

* * *

Ginny Weasley-Potter had always thought that she was a strong woman. She had grown up between a bunch of brothers, and her mother was tough herself; Molly Weasley was the kind of woman that she had wanted to become, even when she was still a young girl.

But there was something about her mother that she didn't want to see herself turn into: a housewife. She had reluctantly agreed to become one when James was born, a year and six months earlier. She had even quitted her job to look after her son. Not that her job was exciting, but it was still something that helped her to keep her mind busy while Harry was travelling for his own career.

During this year spent alongside James, she had felt that something was slightly different in her life, something was _odd_. It wasn't the kind of life that she wanted to have, far from it. When she had married Harry, she had thought that she could have everything: the whole package. The fame, the money, the house, the career and the family that Harry had asked her to build with him. At 25-year-old, she had pretty much everything; everything except the career.

And now, while she sat in front of her husband, she realised that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't have _everything_. While she was trying to have the career, the only thing that she needed to have everything, Harry was thinking about taking the others things from her, to put what she had consciously built in the trashcan.

Ginny took a deep breath, trying to ignore the tears that were threatening to overwhelm her since the moment when Harry had said that he wanted to break up with her, and looked down at her shaking hands. He couldn't; Harry couldn't take everything from her. He couldn't say that he didn't want to be with her anymore, because they were meant for each other. Wasn't it what he had said when they had won the War? Hadn't he kissed her to show her how important she was in his life? Wasn't James a proof enough of her love for him?

She swallowed to make the ball in her throat disappear, but it wasn't enough and she had to cough several times in order to find her voice again.

"Is there someone else?" she asked in an unsure voice, not daring to look up to meet the green eyes of her husband. All that she could see, all that she wanted to see was her wedding ring, the same one that Harry had given her with a huge smile a few years earlier, in front of her whole family and their relatives.

Ginny didn't notice the moment of hesitation of Harry.

"No," he said in a soft voice, as if he didn't want to hurt her any longer.

"So how can you do something like that to me?" she asked, finally founding the courage to look up at him. "How can you tear our family apart without even trying to repair our relationship?"

"I've thought about it; about giving us another chance, about trying to deal with this year without you. Do you know how many time I say to myself that I should just forget about my feelings and put our family first? Do you have any idea about how lost I was when you left just ten minutes after saying that you would not be here for the year to come?" Harry whispered, and Ginny noticed the pain in the bottom of his eyes. "If there was a way to make things better between us, be sure that I'd say it out loud. But from where I stand, there is no way for us to come back to where we were before all of this happened."

"But you used to love me," she retorted. "You cannot fall out of love with someone in three months, Harry, you cannot decide that you don't want to be with your wife anymore without giving her a chance to explain herself...," she concluded, her bright brown eyes shinning with tears.

"You explained yourself so many times that I can't even count them anymore. And all that I can remember about your explanations is that you are definitely not in love with me, Ginny."

"_But I love you!_," she shouted out, desperately frowning. "I love you, and I love James, and I don't want him to grow up without his parents by his side."

"Don't bring James into this equation; we'll have plenty of time to discuss about him later," Harry warned her, knowing that Ginny would try to attack him on one of his weakness: his son. "This is about us, Ginny; this is about the fact that I can't live with you anymore, not after everything that happened, not after everything that you've said in your letters..."

"They are just letters," she dismissed with a wave of hand. "I agree that, sometimes, I can be selfish or whatever you want me to be, but don't say that I don't love you. All that I've ever wanted since I am – God, since I am eleven-year-old, can you imagine? All I've ever wanted was to be with you, to be hand in hand with you, to show to the world that I was yours and you were mine," she concluded, her voice shaking as hard as her hands right now.

"Do you even hear yourself, Ginny?" Harry asked, incomprehension all over his face. "Do you even realise that all that you've ever wanted was to have your fair share of celebrity? This was you really desire, and I don't blame you for this; I blame you for trying to hide this desire and to act like you truly care about me."

"You are the one who don't care about my desires," she suddenly said, her lips pursed into a thin line. "You just think that I'm going to sit here in this house like my mum did, nursing your babies and all?"

Harry saw the moment when Ginny's pain and sadness turned into true anger. He saw the moment when she stopped trying to explain herself and instead, wanted to hurt him back, to hurt him just like he had hurt her.

"Is that what you think, Harry?," she repeated in a much louder voice. "Because guess what: this is not going to happen. I don't plan to finish like my mum, like a housewife with plenty of dreams unsatisfied. I am a strong woman, Harry, and I thought that you knew it. But instead, you were just trying to find a replacement to your mum, weren't you?"

"Stop this nonsense, Ginny," he asked her politely, despite the fact that he didn't find her last sentence appropriate.

"Just admit it, for Merlin's sake," Ginny continued. "You are just terrified by the fact of being alone, terrified by the simple idea of being abandoned just for a few months."

Harry got up from the couch where they were seated, his fists clenched. He headed toward the kitchen counter and lean on it, his head slightly bent. He didn't answer anything to this sucker punch. His family... This was his weakness, and Ginny knew it perfectly well. How many times had he confided in her, telling her every fear that he had about losing someone close because it reminded her about his late parents?

"But I don't plan to leave forever like your parents did, Harry. And yet, you are throwing it in my face as if I did something unforgivable."

"Don't you dare talk about them," Harry whispered, not knowing if his voice could be hear from where he was.

"I am here now," Ginny continued, not paying attention to what he said, her voice full of assurance. "We can go through this together."

Harry breathed heavily, feeling his chest moving at each inspiration, and when Ginny walked toward him and put her hand onto his arm, he freed himself from her embrace in a second, his jaw clenched. His green eyes were full of contained anger, anger that he wasn't sure he could control.

"_We can't go through this together_," Harry echoed her, emphasising every word. "What you've just said to me... I've never thought that you could do something so _low_."

Ginny shook her head out of incomprehension.

"It's not like I said something that both of us didn't know," she spat bitterly, with no longer a sign of tear into her brown eyes.

"You're right," Harry admitted. "We both know my tendency to be affected to people's departure. I am not going to deny it. But I thought that you were clever enough not to _throw it in my face_, like you said before."

"You're not twelve anymore, Harry, you need to face your fears," she retorted, visibly not impressed by what her husband had just said.

"Yes, I'm not twelve anymore, I can take my own decisions. And that's the reason why I am going to tell you to leave this place, _tonight_. I'm sure that Molly will be more than happy to see her prodigal daughter."

"This is my house too," Ginny swiftly said, her arms crossed over her chest.

"I know. But as far as I am concerned, I bought this house with the galleons that _my dead parents who had abandoned me_ gave me," Harry grinned wickedly. "So please, you know where the door is."

"I am not going to leave James here," she continued, desperately seeking for a reason to stay in the house that they had shared since the beginning of their marriage.

"James is currently sleeping, so I wouldn't dare to wake him up if I were you. If your son is important to your eyes as much as you are saying, you know that the better thing for you to do is to leave him here, at least for tonight."

Ginny took a step back, before looking around to see where her suitcase were. Before heading to the entrance door, she turned around to Harry.

"We're not over yet," she muttered, trying to have a reaction from her husband.

The only thing that Harry said got the point across.

"Goodbye, Ginny."

When she left, slamming the door behind her, Harry served himself a glass of wine, with just one idea into his mind.

_Why hadn't he done this sooner? _

* * *

**This is a short chapter, but it is an important one, as you can all imagine. I hope that I don't bother you with all of these updates. ;)  
**

**Sorry for not having the time to answer you this time - again. When I got back from work, I started to write this chapter right away because it didn't want to leave me in peace. Thank you for your reviews for the last chapter! I hope that this chapter was good enough, and that you are waiting for some Harmony interactions in the future. :) **

**See you soon.**


	14. A Shoulder To Cry On

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.  
**

* * *

**Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic**

_"Loneliness is worst of all_

_When you got no one else to call_

_Feeling kind of sad when the times are bad, the times are getting bad"_

**_Kodaline - The Answer_**

* * *

Hermione didn't sleep well that night. She woke up several times during the night, her heart beating fast into her chest, and she couldn't blame the heat of the summer nights any more; in September, the nights were getting colder with time passing by.

Around seven o'clock, she eventually got up from her bed for good, and decided that a warm bath wouldn't do her any wrong, even if she was supposed to go to work right after. Once in the hot water, Hermione tried to focus on the things that she needed to do at work; but unfortunately, her mind quickly drifted toward another important subject, or was she supposed to say an important person.

She wondered how Harry's encounter with Ginny had gone the previous night. Inwardly, she couldn't help but feel terribly guilty by what this married couple had had to gone through, even if she remembered that Harry had told her that it was not her fault at all. But how could she trust him when they had shared more than one kiss during the past few weeks? Despite her willingness, despite the fact that she had promised to herself not to do anything with Harry in the mean time, she had failed lamentably, and now, she was just ashamed of what she had done.

"Even if it wasn't your fault in the first place, you've made things worse...," she mumbled while taking the soap into her right hand.

Not knowing what had happened last night wasn't helpful either. What if Harry and Ginny managed to find a way to repair their relationship? A sigh escaped her, and she took a deep breath. She couldn't blame Harry if it was the case; she was the _other woman_, and Ginny was still his wife after all. Truth to be told, it would be even better for James if his parents were back together. Maybe that Ginny would eventually find a way to reconcile her family life with her professional career, and then... then obviously, Harry wouldn't need her anymore.

These dark ideas going through her head, she immersed her whole body – including her head – into the warm water in order to wake her up and clear her mind. And hell, it worked.

**XxX**

"Someone doesn't seem to have slept well last night," a man's voice shake Hermione out of her torpor, and she almost made the pile of books that was into her arms fall on the floor. She cursed through her teeth and turned around to meet Daniel's playful gaze.

"Do you want some help with these books?" he offered, but, without giving her the opportunity to answer, he took more than half of the books that were hampering the brunette.

"Thank you. And yes, I didn't sleep very well. I'm sorry if I was grumpy this morning," she sighed before putting the remaining books back on the appropriate shelves.

"What is the reason of your insomnia? Do you have some trouble to plan your upcoming birthday party?"

"How do you know that my birthday is coming?"

"Come on, everyone knows when your birthday is, Hermione," Daniel explained with a wink. "Next Friday, eh? I'll think about you eventually."

Hermione smiled at him before shaking her head. "I don't really care about my birthday to be honest. But if you want to buy me something, well, I'm not going to complain," she concluded with an angelic expression all over her face.

It was a pleasure to work alongside Daniel. He was kind, and, with time passing by, Hermione realised that she was considering him as a friend. He always tried to cheer her up, and since his arrival, her relation with her employer was much better than before. Nonetheless, it wasn't a reason enough for her to want to work for Flourish and Blotts for eternity, but for now, it would do.

"Do you plan to work here for long?" Hermione suddenly asked to Daniel, taking advantage of the fact that the bookshop was almost empty at this time of the day.

"Mmh, I don't know. Tertington wants me to stay at least until the end of the year, but... You know, I'm not a stable man, I like adventure."

"I can see it. And that was the reason why I didn't accept to have this drink with you," Hermione retorted playfully, knowing perfectly well that Daniel had understood since a long time that she didn't want nothing more than his friendship.

"Really? Because, if you want my opinion, I'd say that there is another man in your heart, and that's the reason why you don't want to go out with me," Daniel grinned, visibly amused by their discussion.

"What makes you say something like that?"

"Oh, nothing," the tall man chuckled, before putting the books that were in his arms back on the shelves like Hermione did.

"Nothing?" Hermione insisted. "Come on, Daniel, you cannot say something like this and don't explain yourself in the aftermath."

"Let's just say that the man that I am talking about is not well-known to traipse around the shops on Diagon Alley. He is not well-known for that, but he is well-known, generally speaking. Famous, even," Daniel explained with a side-glance to the former Gryffindor.

Hermione suddenly blushed, mortified by what Daniel had just said to her. It was true though; Harry had came at Flourish and Blotts twice during the last week, every time just to talk to her right after her lunch break. It had always been a matter of five or ten minutes, and she didn't realise that Daniel witnessed the whole thing.

"I don't know who you are talking about," Hermione eventually said with a shy smile before heading to the other pile of books that she needed to store.

"Does _Harry Potter_ ring a bell?"

Hermione's grip on the book tightened, and she was happy that Daniel could just see her back from where he stood.

"Harry is a _friend_, so I definitely don't know what you are talking about, Daniel," she retorted in steady voice, before swallowing to make the lump in her throat disappear.

"I'm not judging you, Hermione, I jus–"

Hermione swiftly turned around and shook her head in denial.

"I think that you didn't understand me the first time. There is nothing to judge, since you are obviously wrong. Drop it, Daniel. You are wasting your time – and mine – here."

She then headed toward the reserve without a glance at her coworker, her heart pounding in her chest. When the door of the reserve opened a second time, she let out a sigh when she saw Daniel.

"It's almost one o'clock, do you want to go out for lunch with me?" he offered with a since smile. "Please, I don't want you to be mad at me. Moreover, I can see that you need to clear off your head a little, so... Are you in?"

"Only if you swear –"

"I'm not going to talk about it if you don't want me to," Daniel cut her off, his right hand over his chest, next to where his heart was.

"Alright," Hermione abdicated. "Let's go."

**XxX**

Daniel had opted for a healthy restaurant, which proposed a various choice of enormous salads and organic meals.

"The waitress is staring at you," Hermione whispered softly to Daniel's attention, doing her best to hide her smile.

"She always does. Not that I gave her any hope, but you know...," he explained, rolling her eyes. "I can't blame her for finding me attractive. You should follow her example, if you want a very good advice."

"Damn, I should have made you swear not to talk about your so-called attractiveness too," Hermione chuckled before taking a sip of her apple juice.

"_So-called_? You are going to make me doubt about my charm, woman, be careful with your words," he retorted playfully.

At the end of the lunch, Daniel eventually cleared his throat, something that he always did when he wanted to be serious about a subject.

"What is the matter, Mr. Gathy?" Hermione asked.

"I want to talk to you about something... You know, I've told you that I don't plan to work for long at Flourish and Blotts."

"Yes, I do remember about this information, since you said it... well, just an hour ago?" Hermione said back ironically.

"Alright, make fun of me, young lady. But what I am going to say to you, to ask you, is really important."

He stopped, obviously waiting for her to say something, but Hermione just raised an eyebrow. Daniel sighed.

"I want to open my own bookshop, Hermione," he went on. "And, from what I learned about you, you want to do the same. That's the reason why I am asking you right now if you are interested in such a project."

"Are you serious?"

"Of course I am," Daniel nodded frantically. "I am more than serious, and I know that we can do it together; I know how to run a bookshop, and you are definitely brilliant. You know a lot of people and–"

"Wow, calm down," Hermione interrupted his stream of words. "I don't know a lot of people to be honest..."

"But people know you, and that's the most important. We could make a brand with just your name, and people would come in a heartbeat. Did you notice how impressed the customers are at Flourish and Blotts when you are next to them?"

"Come on, I just dealt with a bunch of students so far, of course they are impressed..."

"It's more than that," Daniel insisted, bending over the table to take her right hand into his. "Please, think about it. We would make a great team together. All that we have to do is to resign from Flourish and Blotts at least two months before the overture of our store."

"How can I trust an adventurous man like you, Daniel? What can make me put all my trust in a project like this without a guarantee that you wouldn't run away to begin something new in, let's say six months or so? Don't get me wrong, I really like you, but..."

"But you want to be sure, and I get it. Take all the time that you need, but just do me a favour: think about it, alright?"

Hermione nodded, and freed herself from Daniel's hand. "Alright," she said. "But you didn't have to take my hand like that, you know. I would have say yes anyway."

"Oh, _this_," Daniel chuckled. "I just wanted to make this waitress think that we are together. I'm tired of her advances, it's creepy to have someone staring at you like that."

Hermione saw the young blonde waitress turned around with an expression of pure despair over her face and shook her head.

"I guess that it worked..."

**XxX**

The project of opening a bookshop helped Hermione to think about something cheerful at least until she went back home. Once in the corridor that lead to her apartment, she started to look into her bag in order to find her keys, and she almost bump into someone while doing so.

"Excuse me, I didn't–"

The rest of her sentence didn't pass the barrier of her lips; Harry was just a few inches from her, his green eyes staring at her, his expression undecipherable.

"Harry," Hermione muttered. "What are you doing here? You were supposed t–"

"Can we talk about this inside?" he asked in a low voice, so different from the voice full of life and spirit that he usually had.

"Of course," she quickly said before looking back at the inside of her bag. A second later, her keys were in her right hand. "Follow me."

The brunette entered her flat without a single look at Harry; the same happened when he took place in the living room after getting rid of his navy blue scarf while she headed to the kitchen to make some tea. The young man didn't seem eager to talk, and she didn't want to ask him a bunch of questions in the current situation. But she wanted to know so many things: what had he said to Ginny the previous night? Why wasn't he with her at the moment? And what about James?

Frowning, Hermione served the tea into two cups, and returned in the living room, just to notice how livid Harry was.

"Here," she said in a breath, handing him one of the cups. "Be careful, it's still hot."

Harry nodded without even thinking about it, and searched for Hermione's eyes while she sat next to him.

"How was your day?" he asked almost automatically, as if anything had happened last night at his house.

"Good, actually. But it seems that you are the one who wants to say me something, am I right?"

Harry sighed deeply, but didn't utter a single word. Hermione decided to push him a little further.

"Where is James?"

She had the feeling that Harry's cup of tea was about to spill over the couch and quickly took it from his hands to put it on the coffee table, just next to hers. A strange feeling took possession of her whole body, and she inwardly prayed that nothing too bad had happened with Ginny.

"James..." Harry began in a hoarse voice. "James is currently at the Burrow with Ginny."

"I'm sorry, _what?_"

Had Harry really said something like this? She couldn't help but think that she had missed an information, something that could explain this sudden situation.

"We had a discussion last night. Ginny and I..."

"What happened?"

"We're over, Hermione. I couldn't accept the situation and..."

The only thing that Hermione had heard was Harry's first sentence. _We're over. _But who were over?

"... I broke up with her," Harry concluded, his green eyes searching for her chestnut ones.

She didn't know if she had to give him a shoulder to cry on. Or maybe tell him that she was sorry that his marriage ended so badly. Hermione just didn't know what to do. She just didn't want to make something inappropriate, while James was obviously under Ginny's care for now – and, as far as she was concerned, she wasn't sure that Harry was thrilled about it.

"She left last night," Harry went on. "I told her to leave for the Burrow because... because what she told me... I couldn't accept it."

His voice was hushed, and he didn't seem to be able to think properly, as if he was in shock from what happened last night.

"Did she leave with James?" Hermione asked softly.

"No, no of course not," Harry shook his head vehemently. "But she came back this morning, saying that, at least, she wanted to spend the weekend with him. She is supposed to drop him off at home on Sunday morning."

Hermione nodded in silence.

"It's not because it didn't work out between us that I can forbid her from seeing our son," he explained, seeking for her approbation.

"Of course. She's still his mum, and I'm sure that he is in good hands right now," she tried to calm him down. "Don't overthink the situation, Harry. What is done is done, you can't do much better right now."

"I know," he sighed. "But I'm not sure about what is going to happen in the future. About James, about the divorce, about everything. I thought that it would be easy, that she would be busy with her career as a Quidditch player, but I have the feeling that she doesn't plan to let me file for divorce that easily... And to be honest, I don't really want to see James travel around the world just to fit with her planning."

"I can understand that. He's just a baby. But one thing at the time, Harry," she muttered. "Ginny will go back to Ireland in two days, and you'll be able to think about what you plan to do then, alright?"

"Yes, I guess that you are right," he said, but Hermione noticed how defeated he was. "I just wanted to say this to you, that's why I came here. I've waited for you since midday I guess," he admitted in a forced chuckle. "That shows you how desperate I was when she left with James."

He suddenly got up, and Hermione frowned.

"Where are you going? You didn't even drink your tea."

"Home. I don't want to disturb you any longer, I guess that you have things to do tonight."

"Hell no, you are staying tonight. I can't let you spend your night alone after what happened. You don't have to talk about this anymore if you don't want to, but please stay for the night. It's a sofa bed," she proudly explained with a wave of hand at the couch, smiling.

"I'm not sure if..."

"I was about to make your favourite Italian dish," Hermione tried again.

Harry smiled weakly, but his eyes were now shinning with a light that he had seemed to have lost before.

"Lasagnas?"

"Exactly. So do you want to stay?"

"Alright, I'll stay," he muttered before giving her a hug. "Thank you for everything, Hermione," he breathed next to her ear, and Hermione closed her eyes. There was nothing sexual between them during this embrace, nothing romantic either; they were just two persons close to each other, and she wanted to ease his pain, that was all.

When Harry let go of her, she bent over to take his cup of tea and gave it to him.

"Tea?" she offered.

"With pleasure," Harry accepted, his expression softer than before.

Little did Hermione know that just the fact of being with her was a relief for Harry at this exact moment.

* * *

**Damn, you're so spoiled with all these updates these days... And I'm spoiled by your reviews, so I guess that it's well deserved. I'm really happy to know that you like this story, I really am.  
**

**A lot of things are going to happen in the upcoming chapters, Harry and Hermione's relationship is going to develop now that Ginny is aware of his desire to divorce, so fasten your seat belt and enjoy the ride! **

**Thank you for following this story.  
**

**PS: I'm sorry for the mistakes, since this story isn't Beta'ed. Moreover, being French certainly doesn't help. :D But I'm doing my best, be sure of it.**


	15. A Dark And Not So Respectable Place

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

This chapter is rated M.

* * *

**Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic**

_"Can't remember what I did last night  
Maybe I shouldn't have given in but I just couldn't fight  
Hope I didn't but I think I might've  
Everything, everything is still a blur"_

**_Britney Spears - Blur_**

* * *

Harry was still asleep when Hermione entered into the living room, a simple dark blue nightdress covering her body. Despite the shy rays of light that were falling over the sofa bed, Harry didn't seem to be disturbed in the slightest. Doing her best to be quiet, Hermione headed toward the kitchen in order to prepare some coffee; after her long night, she really needed one.

Harry had been more than talkative during the evening, to Hermione's great surprise. She had thought that he wouldn't be able to talk further about his discussion with Ginny, but, on the contrary, it seemed to have helped him to open up about what had happened on Thursday evening. He told her about everything; Ginny's arrival, the way she tried to kiss him as if nothing had happened during the last three months – and, to be honest, Hermione did her best at this moment to remain calm –, and all the things that she said to him, or at least, what the young wizard could remember.

Hermione had been particularly shocked by Ginny's words about Harry's parents and his insecurities when it comes to lose someone close to him. She knew about it since she was a teenager, and never had she thought about talking about something so important and hard to her friend in such a hard way. She had tried to calm him down, especially about James' custody. Inwardly, she knew that Harry had better chances to win against Ginny, especially since she would be away pretty much every week in the upcoming three years. Wouldn't it be better for James to stay with his father, since he could obviously continue to work as an Auror without travelling as much as he had done in the past, rather than following his mother around the world? It was the question that she had asked him the previous night, and Harry had agreed. Of course, it was, and he was starting to think that everything would be fine, after all.

When she plugged the coffee maker in, Hermione heard some noises coming from the living room where Harry was, and retained a smile; he seemed to wake up slowly, which was a good thing since it was already ten in the morning. She took two cups into the cupboard, thinking that Harry would want to drink something hot and full of caffeine too, and also prepared a few slices of bread and butter for two.

Less than five minutes later, she joined him with a complete breakfast on a tray.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked while putting the tray on the coffee table, paying attention not to pill the coffee on the carpet.

"Not so bad for a sofa bed," Harry grinned before searching for something into the pocket of his jacket that was on the sofa's arm. He was bare-chested, the lower half of his body covered with a sheet, and Hermione sat on the sofa bed, taking care not to enter in contact with him.

"What are you looking for?"

"_This_," he said proudly when he finally put his right hand on his glasses.

"You are supposed to wear contact lenses," Hermione noticed.

"Well, I can't wear them when I'm asleep, can I?"

"I guess not," she admitted with a smile.

It was quite odd to see Harry with his glasses again, after all these years. It was like going back to Hogwarts, and, despite the fact that Hermione had worked there as a teacher not so long ago, she couldn't help but find it weird.

"Please, don't stare at me like that," Harry chuckled. "I have the feeling that you are going to lecture me like you always did when we were in Hogwarts."

Hermione vehemently shook her head before taking her own cup of coffee.

"Oh God no, I am not going to do something like that. But please, help yourself with something to eat or drink," she said with a movement of head toward the tray. "I'm sure that you are starving."

"After all the lasagnas that I ate last night, I'm full for a week – at least. But I'm not going to refuse a cup of coffee, I know how incredible your coffee is."

"Do you plan to do something special today?" Hermione suddenly asked after a few moments of silence. She knew that Ginny was supposed to come home with James the next day, and since it was Saturday, she had nothing special to do herself.

"No, to be honest. Before coming here, I was expecting to spend a long weekend with myself and I, so being with you is already something special."

Hermione blushed, even if she knew that Harry would have said something like this to her _before_. Before every changed between them, before the kisses that they had exchanged, before the moment when they had almost made love on this exact sofa, a week ago.

"What about you?" Harry went on, shaking Hermione out of her sudden torpor, dissipating her oh-so embarrassing memories.

"I am in your situation. I was expecting to spend this weekend here, with some books as companions. And here you are," she smiled.

"I can leave if you'd prefer," Harry said, suddenly serious.

"No, you don't have to leave. I'd prefer you to stay to be honest," she concluded in a whisper before disappearing behind her cup of coffee.

"It's always better to be bored to death in someone else's company, isn't it?" Harry asked in a laugh.

"Are you implying that you are going to spend a bad Saturday with me?" Hermione retorted, her right eyebrow raised in a comical way.

"I wouldn't dare, Milady."

"I like that better," she said, amused.

The morning passed slowly, and around midday, right after each of them had taken a shower, Harry put his jacket on.

"Weren't you supposed to stay today?" Hermione asked, confused by his attitude.

"I owe you a dinner," Harry reminded her. "I know that it's lunch time, but I thought that it would be go for us to go outside and to take advantage of the sun – it's quite unusual to have an Indian summer in London, so..."

He smiled awkwardly, and Hermione understood that Harry just needed to go out in order to forget about the dark ideas that he was thinking about since the previous day – and, surely, since Ginny's arrival. She nodded and headed to her own jacket and her shoes.

"Alright, Mr. Potter, I'll follow you."

"Even in a dark and not so respectable place?" he joked, before following her in the corridor. He put his hand on the small of her back when they passed the entrance door, and Hermione was almost sure that he felt her shudder while doing so.

Right after closing the door behind them, she turned around to meet his green eyes.

"Especially in a dark and not so respectable place," she muttered with a smile, noticing his Adam's apple moving while he swallowed hard, visibly moved by her reply. "Let's go," she went on in order to become less tense.

Harry nodded and followed her, his hands buried into his pockets. He wanted to touch her, to feel her soft skin under his fingers, but he knew that it was prohibited. It was too soon to do what they had done in the past again, and especially, it wasn't a good idea to do it in public, with Ginny around.

They needed time, Hermione needed time, and it was for the best.

He just didn't know how long he could wait before kissing her again.

**XxX**

When they returned at her house that night, they were laughing uncontrollably.

"Did you see the waiter's face?" Hermione asked, trying to calm down in order to take a breath.

"How could I not see it? I guess that he thought that we drank a Polyjuice potion in order to "_look exactly like Harry Potter and Hermione Granger_"," Harry imitated the young waiter that had been surprised to see them in the restaurant that evening.

They had spent the day outside, enjoying the breeze and the sun of this month of September. They went to the park, they fed a few squirrels, and went to the British Museum, something that Harry had never done before despite the fact of living near London since years.

Hermione took advantage of this to teach him a few things about the classical antiquity, something that she had became fond of with time passing by. Then, to conclude their day in the best way, they had dinner together at the same restaurant where Harry had wanted to invite her on Thursday evening.

She tried to open the door with difficulty, still laughing.

"Damn, this door is such a pain to open," she cursed, and Harry put his hand on her hip, silently asking her to move in order to let him try.

She gave him her keys, and a few seconds later, they were into her flat, struggling to remove their shoes in the dark, forgetting to turn on the light of the corridor.

"Tell me again: why did we agree to take this bottle of wine when we both perfectly knew that it wasn't a good idea?" Hermione mumbled, wondering for a second if it wouldn't be a better idea to sit down on the wooden floor to be able to remove her shoes more easily.

"Because we both like that," Harry explained, a grin on his face.

Hermione shook her head, and, when she managed to get rid of her shoes, she let out a sigh of satisfaction. She righted herself just as Harry's mouth crush onto hers in the dark, his hands cupping her face while his tongue slid with ease between her parted lips. With a moan, and despite her surprise, she buried her hands into his dark hair, urging him to deepen the kiss.

Harry didn't need her to say it twice; his body pinned her against the white wall of the entrance corridor, and he was pretty sure that Hermione could feel his firm erection through his trousers. Was it a consequence of the wine, _again_? He wasn't sure; a couple of glasses couldn't do something like that to both of them. He just wanted her, just as much as Hermione seemed to want him. She pressed herself against him, closing the thin – but nonetheless present – gap between them, biting his lower lip from time to time, eliciting a groan from the green-eyed wizard.

They could just _feel_ each other, since they weren't able to see anything in the dark. Hermione felt Harry's hands entered in contact with the soft skin of her stomach, caressing her with haste, before struggling with her jeans' buttons.

"You should have wear a dress," Harry muttered against her red lips, a smile on his face while Hermione get rid of her trousers with much more ease than with her shoes. Her t-shirt quickly followed her pants and Harry did the same with his own clothes. Once he was able to feel the warmth of Hermione's skin on his own, he let out a moan full of desire for her.

"I can't wait, Hermione...," he muttered before casting a contraceptive charm upon them.

"I can't wait either...," Hermione whispered against his neck before breathing in heavily when he penetrated her in a single push.

She couldn't think of anything else apart from the man who was currently making love to her with a sensuality that she didn't know he had inside him.

In this maze of different feelings and thoughts, Hermione thought about something in particular: who would have thought that _the dark and not so respectable place_ that they had talked about earlier would be the corridor of her own flat?

_I wouldn't have_, she inwardly answered to her own mute question, before letting her mind drift toward a world full of pleasure and lust.

* * *

**Alright, now you know why this story is rated M. I don't think that I'll be able to update before Sunday, so I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter. :) **

**Thank you for following this story, you are the best readers EVER. I'm still shocked to see that we break the 200th reviews mark... Jslee102 wrote the 200th review, thank you! What you wrote is quite prophetic by the way... But I guess that we'll see it further in the story. ;) **

**See you soon!**


	16. Hope

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

* * *

**Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic**

_"And I know my life is better_

_Because you're a part of it_

_I know without you by my side_

_That I would be different_

_Thank you for all of your trust_

_Thank you for not giving up_

_Thank you for holding my hand_

_I've always known where you stand"_

**_Jason Mraz - Best Friend_**

* * *

A kiss behind her ear; another one on her neck. Two kisses were enough to wake Hermione up that day. With a smile, she stretched lazily, her eyes still close and her right hand clenched around the sheet to cover her breast.

"I don't want to leave the bed...," she mumbled before burying her head in the pillow.

Actually, it wasn't the fact to leave the bed that disturbed her: it was the fact to open her eyes to see that everything that had happened the previous night was _real_. She was disturbed, but it wasn't the kind of embarrassment that she had thought she would feel a few weeks ago: she was just overwhelmed by too much happiness, too many good feelings that it was even hard to deal with all of them at the same time.

"You have too," Harry muttered against her skin after having bitten her soft skin. "Trust me, if I had to decide, we would stay here for a lifetime..."

"You _can_ decide," Hermione retorted, opening her eyes at the same time. She encountered Harry's green gaze and realised that yes, it had happened, and no, none of them were wracked by remorse, or worse, unhappy by what they had shared the previous night.

After their passionate lovemaking in the entrance corridor, they had moved to her bedroom, both of them desperately wanting to make the other one feel how important he was, how necessary he was.

Hermione felt sore now that everything was over, but she didn't mind. It was a wonderful, an incredible feeling, and she wanted to enjoy every part of it.

"I _want_ to decide, but you know that I cannot. It's Sunday...," Harry trailed off, and Hermione eventually came down to Earth.

"Oh," she breathed out, realising that James was supposed to come back home today.

"She said that she would come around six in the afternoon, just before leaving for her training," Harry explained, gazing deeply at the woman into his arms as if he wanted to read into her mind.

Hermione nodded, and her hair brushed against Harry's chest.

"Alright," she simply said back, noticing that Harry didn't use the name of his wife.

_Wife_. She shivered at the thought, and swallowed hard to make her lump in her throat disappear. Ginny was still Harry's wife – technically, she was, there was no need to deny it. Hermione was old enough to say it without feeling too sad about it; both of them had lived their lives before being in the same bed, and, to be honest, she had even been happy when Harry had married Ginny back then. She remembered the smile that she had had during all the wedding, and even afterward when she had visited them from time to time. They had seemed to be happy, really happy together, and even after James' birth, no matter what Harry had said about Ginny's feelings at the birth of her first son.

When Hermione had spent Christmas with them, she had seen a perfect family, a man always looking after his wife and his son, and she had prayed to have the same one day. Yes, one day, she had said to herself, she would have a man like Harry to take care of her, someone to come home to, and they would have a child – maybe a girl? – together.

Had she thought about having a step son instead of her own offspring one day? Not in the slightest. Even if she knew that it was premature to think about such a thing, she also knew that it was a possibility; a small one, but still a possibility.

Feeling Harry's insistent gaze upon her, Hermione looked up and smiled.

"What are you thinking about?," he suddenly asked, caressing her arm without even realising it.

"Nothing in particular," she began, her voice low and lazy. "But, among other things, I realise how happy I am right now with you by my side."

"I've always been by your side," Harry corrected.

"It wasn't the same back then," Hermione shook her head at the same time. "We were friends, and _this_...," she explained, pressing the last word before taking a little break, "this is different. I've never thought that something like this would happen, not for a second, so you can understand my surprise when it happened."

"When _it_ happened? What are you talking about precisely?" Harry asked, his voice becoming more and more sensual with time passing by. "When I made love to you right next to your entrance door, giving your neighbours the opportunity to hear your screams of pleasure? Or when I followed you in your bedroom and pined you agai–"

"Damn, stop it," Hermione muttered, her cheeks red with embarrassment, eliciting a laugh from her lover.

"Why would I stop? I am perfectly fine with what happened between us, Hermione, and I want you to understand that. I don't want you to think that I am ashamed or guilty; I'm not. I'm just amazed to be here with you, and it's the most important think that you have to know right now."

Hermione's mouth aimed for his, and when her lips entered in contact with his own, she closed her eyes, not wanting to lose every part of their kiss.

"I thought that the most important thing that I needed to know was that I was supposed to wake up," she whispered against his lips, a little smile taking possession of her face.

"Alright; it was the second most important thing then," Harry muttered before pinning her once again against the bed, determined to give her the pleasure that she deserved.

**XxX**

"You should go back home, don't you think?" Hermione asked when they finished their cups of tea. It was already five in the afternoon, and apart from making love in the bed, in the shower, and even on the couch, they hadn't done a lot of things during the day.

Harry nodded, but looked defeated. Hermione bent over to kiss him, hoping that it would be enough to give him the strength that he needed so bad currently.

"I don't even know what I'm going to say to her," he sighed, and Hermione raised a surprise eyebrow.

"About...?" she asked, visibly concerned by his last sentence.

"Not about us, obviously," Harry rolled his eyes. "What I'm going to say to her, period. Except for "hello, thanks for taking James home", I don't have anything left to say to her..."

"It's a start," Hermione nervously said. "Listen, trust me or not, the last thing that I want is to know that you're on bad terms with Ginny," she dared to say her name. "James needs her, you saw how affected he was by her departure..."

"And you saw how she reacted when I talked to her two days ago. Well, technically, you didn't see it, but I guess that it still proves my point."

"You said that you wanted to divorce that day," Hermione reminded him in a soft voice, her right hand over his knee. "I don't believe that it's something that someone is supposed to take lightly."

Harry remained quiet, but eventually he nodded. "I don't think so either," he sighed, searching for her eyes. "But it doesn't change anything about what I think about her," he added, doing his best to make her realise that his marriage was definitely over to his eyes.

"_I know_," Hermione couldn't help but chuckled. "Harry, we are not twelve anymore, we are adults. You don't have to prove anything to me; your acts are enough, and we'll see how things will turn out between us. I have _hope_, and, as far as I'm concerned, it's really important to have hope. I trust us enough to know that it will work if we want it to work."

"Always wise, Miss Granger," Harry retorted before kissing her. "Thank you," he breathed against her lips before letting go of her.

"You're more than welcome, Mr. Potter," Hermione whispered before giving him a last and quick kiss. "You really should go..."

"I'm out," Harry said while raising from the couch. "And, Hermione?" he asked before disappearing in the corner of the entrance corridor.

"Yes?"

"I have hope too," he concluded with a smile before leaving her alone, her head full of pleasant memories.

* * *

**A short chapter, I know... I had the most crazy weekend, and it was hard for me to put my head back into the fanfiction world. But I'm back, and be sure that I'll try to post another chapter before Saturday (because this weekend promises to be as crazy as last one...). **

**I'm glad to know that even if it felt a little rushed, the last chapter wasn't too much in your opinion. I hope that you liked "aftermath" chapter as well. More soon, I promise. **

**See you soon. **


	17. Mother's Words

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

**This chapter is for Vaneesa85 who asked for it several times. :)**

* * *

**Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic**

_"Broken bottles in the hotel lobby_  
_ Seems to me like I'm just scared of never feeling it again_  
_ I know it's crazy to believe in silly things_  
_ But it's not that easy"_

_Kodaline - High Hopes_

* * *

Molly Weasley knew her children; of course, she knew them, despite the fact that they were many. She knew them better than anyone else, better than their significant other.

From afar, she was looking at her youngest child, Ginny Weasley, with her long and fiery mane around her pale face. She was a pure beauty, there was no doubt about that. Molly had wanted a girl for so long, and, after many tries, Ginny had finally arrived in the already crowded family. She had brought joy to all of them, but not only joy; she had given them a lot of things to worry about, especially when she was at Hogwarts without any of her brothers to look after her during her sixth and seventh years.

Her last child had grown up, and Molly couldn't deny it anymore. At almost 26-year-old, she had a family, a son, and she was close to have the career that she had always wished to have.

But despite the fact that Ginny seemed to have everything that she had ever wanted, Molly couldn't smile at this exact moment. She had seen the sadness at the bottom of her eyes, she had noticed that her daughter hadn't said more than a few words since her arrival two days ago. Molly had been surprised to see her on the doorstep on Thursday night, with a shy smile hanging on her corner of her mouth. She had hugged her mother, with so much force that Molly had thought that she would break in two. With a long sigh, Ginny had entered into the Burrow, her heavy suitcase behind her, like a burden that she had to carry around.

When Molly had asked her why she was here instead of her own house, she had retorted that Harry was held up at the Auror office and that James was with the childminder. "I didn't want to wake him up, you know", she had mumbled before turning around, heading to the stairs.

But Harry wasn't supposed to work, Molly had thought and had said, her interrogative voice taking over.

"I guess that people changed," Ginny had let out in a whisper, in almost a better voice. But it couldn't be, Molly had thought, Ginny was happy to be here, wasn't she? It was just a delay, and she would be with Harry and James in a heartbeat. At least, she thought with a pure motherly selfishness, she had the opportunity to spend a few hours with her daughter. Arthur woke up when he heard Ginny climbing the stairs, but he didn't ask too much questions, as usual: he was just surprised – and pleased – to see his daughter too.

The next day, Ginny left for the day, and around seven o'clock, she came home with James, a bag full of baby's things at her feet. Molly was pleased to see her grandchild, but _where was Harry? _Was he supposed to come at the Burrow late in the evening too?

No, he wasn't.

"Please mum, let's just enjoy these few days together, alright?" her daughter had whispered while rocking James to make him sleep.

Molly had nodded, a hand gently caressing the back of the young boy who was in the arms of Ginny. She noticed how agitated James was, how he was asking for his dad, but she nodded: she had always tried to protect her daughter, and had always been by her side. If she didn't want to talk, she wouldn't be the one to disturb the peace that she was seeking for.

But now that Ginny was about to leave, now that she was looking at her daughter preparing her suitcase to return to Ireland in order to continue her Quidditch training, she realised that she needed to make her talk; she needed to understand what had happened, why Harry hadn't came at the Burrow, why Ginny hadn't spent more time with her husband after a three-month separation.

Molly cleared her throat and put her tea towel back on the kitchen furniture, heading slowly to the living room. Ginny looked up at her when she realised that she wasn't alone anymore, and a smile found its way on her face.

"Mum," she said before trying for the umpteenth time to close her suitcase, "could you please help me? I just need you to push on the suitcase while I–"

A wave of wand after, the suitcase was sealed for good, and Ginny couldn't help but laugh.

"Well, the other way around would have worked too, you know."

"What happened?" Molly asked, not wanting to lose too much time; Ginny was supposed to leave in less than thirty minutes, and she also had to take care of James before leaving the Burrow.

"I guess that I bought too many things yesterday when we went to London, that's all."

"I'm not talking about this, Ginny. I'm talking about Harry."

"Mum–"

"Listen, young lady: I am not buying all of your "Harry is working, he can't be here" lies. As you mother, I need to know what my daughter is facing right now, this is the only way for me to help you," Molly sighed before noticing that Ginny's jaw was clenched, as if she was trying to hold back her tears. "Say something," she insisted.

Ginny shook her head vehemently before turning around to put James' feeding bottles back into his large back full of baby's stuff.

"I have nothing to say," she let out in a loud voice, too loud to be taken seriously.

"You have a lot of things to say," Molly retorted and put her right hand on Ginny's shoulder. It seemed to be enough for her daughter to let go: a second later, she was sobbing, her head buried in her mother's neck. This simple physical contact had reminded to Ginny that her mother was the closest member of her family that she had, despite the efforts that her father always made to show us how important she was to his eyes. She loved her father, she adored him, but her mother...

She was everything and she would trust her with her life.

"Come on," Molly whispered in her ear, patting her back at the same time. "Let go of all this anger, let go of all this sad things that are poisoning you."

"I don't understand, Mum, I just d-don't," Ginny sobbed, finally realising that it was over. Her marriage was really over, and she didn't know what she had to do to put things back on tracks. During the last three days, she had persuaded herself that it couldn't be true, that it was just a nightmare and that she would wake up soon, but now that she was in her mother's embrace, she realised that her marriage was over, definitely over.

"What happened?" Molly asked again after a few minutes, urging Ginny to put words on her feelings; to put words on what was her reality now.

"He doesn't want me anymore," she admitted, bitting her lower lip at the exact second when the words escaped her lips, as if she didn't want to let them go, as if she didn't want them to take shape.

Ginny noticed that, next to her, her mother's heard had skipped a beat. "Can you believe it?" she went on, finally finding the courage that she needed to talk about this situation.

"_Why?_" was the only thing that Molly could say before letting go of her embrace in order to look at her daughter's bright eyes.

Ginny shrugged, and made a tissue appear. She blew her nose, and eventually sat on the couch next to her mother, still sobbing.

"I guess that it is a bit of everything. My departure, to be alone with James, and... Oh God, Mum, I said so many horrible things to him when I came back home," she concluded in a breath before burying her head in her hands.

"But you were angry," Molly tried to reassure her, like she always used to do when one of her children was devastated. "You were angry, Ginny," she repeated, a hand over her knee. "And I guess that Harry was angry too, and that is the reason why he told you that he didn't want you anymore."

"But he was sure about it," Ginny retorted. "He was really s-sure, Mum. He even t-told it to me _twice_. I'm sure that it is... it is over."

How come hadn't Molly seen something like this coming? She stayed still, her mouth half-opened, doing her best to think about Harry's visits to the Burrow – more and more spaced out with time passing by –, to remember about anything that she could have had notice about his attitude, about his answers to her questions about Ginny. Harry had always been evasive about his relationship with her daughter since her departure, and it was just now that Molly realised it. During all this time, she could have done something to push him back into her daughter's arms – figuratively speaking, of course –, and she had failed to do so.

"It can't be over," Molly interjected, even if she could sense the determination into Ginny's voice: even if she wasn't sure of her future, her daughter was sure that it would be different than her actual life. "You two have a son together, for Merlin's sake. You can't divorce, it is a shame to divorce in the Wizarding World!"

"He doesn't care about it," Ginny shook her head. "He's _Harry Potter_, he doesn't care about the gossips. I also thought that he would... I don't know... That he would think further about it since a divorce is–isn't really common, b-but he made up his mind since a long time ago."

Molly frowned, her lips pursed into a thin line.

"I'm sorry to ask you this, darling but... _Is there someone else?_" she whispered, as though saying it out loud was a shame.

Ginny frowned too, and shook her head again – but not as vehemently as the previous times.

"I don't think so..." she eventually answered, blinking several times. "I didn't... well... I didn't ask him if..."

"Of course," Molly mumbled. "It's not something that a woman wants to know after all."

"Do you think that... that he could have done something like _this_?" Ginny asked in a whisper.

She had never thought about such a thing. She had never thought that Harry could cheat on her during her absence. She had been faithful to him during his Auror's missions, hadn't she? She knew that she had left in bad terms with him, but... But they were still married, and she had explained several times – through her letters, through the phone – that she still wanted to be with him, hadn't she?

"No, of course not," her mother almost shouted. "Listen, darling, you have to talk to him. You have to make everything possible to make him change his mind," she added in a softer voice. "You still want to be with him, don't you?"

"Of course," Ginny nodded frenetically. "I can't imagine my life without him."

Molly smiled at Ginny and pushed away her red hair behind her ear.

"Then everything will be alright," she continued with her usual maternal voice. "You need to talk to him today; talk about James, about how he needs his family. Try to make him understand how he needs you too."

"But he told me th–"

"It doesn't matter," Molly cut her off, patting her hair at the same time. "_It doesn't matter what he said_. What matters is what you are going to say to him. Tell me, are you still planning to accept this three-years contract with the Harpies?"

"Yes, actually, I alread–"

"No, you can't tell him such a thing," she warned her daughter. "You are going to tell him that you told them that you don't want to accept this opportunity any longer because you need to focus on your family."

"But it's not true, I didn't..."

"Harry doesn't have to know that," Molly insisted. "You still have a few months ahead to tell him the truth, but for now, you have to save your marriage, do you understand me?," she concluded, her eyes cold as ice.

Ginny wiped her eyes and nodded for the umpteenth time.

"Yes, I got it," she mumbled before gazing at the clock.

Molly followed her daughter's look and stood up.

"Alright, you have to go. You need to be strong, Ginny. Be persuasive, and I'm sure that everything will be alright."

She hugged her daughter and when Ginny disappeared into her own old bedroom to pick James up, her face hardened.

Harry and Ginny were made for each other, and she would do everything in her power to prevent them from divorcing.

* * *

**Aw, a few of you gave me their opinion about last chapter. Are you already bored with some Harmony interactions? I wanted to change a little for this chapter, and I hope that you liked it.**

**Side note: I really want to write a one-shot with Harry and Hermione as the main couple before the start of the school year, but the thing is that I don't have a really clear idea of it. So here's the deal: the person who will write the 300th review will have the opportunity to give me the plot of his/her choice, the era of his/her choice, etc. We are still far from the 300th mark, so I guess that I have some time to write more of this story before the one-shot. ;) **

**Anyway. As usual, feed the hungry writer who works her ass of for you. :D **

**See you soon! **


	18. Failed Attempt

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

* * *

**Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic**

_"I never meant to start a war_  
_ I just wanted you to let me in_  
_ And instead of using force_  
_ I guess I should've let you win"_

**_Miley Cyrus - Wrecking Ball_**

* * *

When Harry inserted his key into the door lock, he briefly closed his eyes in contentment; from where he was, he could hear James babbling like every one year-old child, trying to catch the attention of every person around him. And right now, he thought, the only person next to him was Ginny, James' mother.

During a second, Harry's thoughts drifted to his wife. How could things have turned so bad between them in just three months? To be honest, he didn't have the answer to this question. Several times, he had thought that he shouldn't be so inflexible, but another part of him couldn't get rid of the idea that their marriage was over. And with Hermione included in the equation, it was different; things were different.

Hermione gave him the stability that he needed so much, she was here for him whenever he needed to talk to someone... But wasn't it what a friend was supposed to be here for, too? It was, of course, but Harry also realised that his relation with Hermione wasn't based on friendship any longer; things had drastically changed during these three months, and he wasn't only talking about their physical encounters. It was so much more than that; he had seen her as a friend for so many years, and suddenly, he had understood that it wasn't enough for them: they needed more, they needed to share something stronger than friendship.

Hermione's bright smile was still a vivid image in Harry's mind when he stepped in his house, James' voice being more and more clear while he was approaching to the living room. When he managed to make eye-contact with his son, he also saw Ginny. Her scent was intoxicating, even from where the green-eyed wizard was. She was still wearing the same perfume, he realised. This mix of different flowers had always caught his attention; he had loved smelling her neck after a long day at work, his lips gently caressing her bare skin. He remembered having said to Ginny how good she smelt, and he thought that he'd never smelt anything like this on someone else; it was Ginny's perfume, and even now, he was under its spell.

"Hi," Ginny let out, her arms still around James' body, gently rocking him.

Harry gave her a curt nod in answer, his hands buried into his trousers' pockets. A glance at the clock was enough for him to realise that he was a bit late.

"I hope that you didn't wait too much."

Ginny shook her head, a shy smile on her face. "No, it's okay. I like being here with James, after all. And to be honest, I don't have to go back to training right now. It's _preferable_, since they have to give us our schedule for the upcoming week but... but I can go back tomorrow morning if I want too," she concluded in a slightly broken voice, before clearing her throat not to show any sign of embarrassment in front of her husband.

James started to yawn, and Harry took a step toward him, just to see Ginny take a step back.

"It's okay, I'm just going to put him back to his crib. I'd like to spend a few moments with him – if you don't mind."

She didn't move right away, as if she was waiting for his approbation. She was James' mother after all, and they were still married, so why was she acting like she was a stranger in her own house?

"Of course, you can," Harry sighed. "I know that things aren't easy between us but..."

"We'll have this conversation in a few moments," Ginny cut him off, before heading to the corridor with James in her arms.

Harry stayed ten long minutes alone, and he had the time to serve them two cups of tea. When he put them onto the coffee table, Ginny was here again.

"He played all the afternoon at the Burrow," Ginny explained, while sitting on the couch next to Harry. "I missed these moments with him."

Harry remained silent, his attention turned to the hot beverage in front of him.

"It would have been better if you had been there," she added in a breath, her bright brown eyes gazing at him with insistence.

"It would have been better if you hadn't left," Harry snapped back without looking at her, and the tone of his voice surprised him; it was full of resentment, full of well-hidden anger. He was sure that Ginny had heard it.

"Of course," she conceded, making Harry frown. Since when Ginny Weasley-Potter admitted that he was right about her departure? "Of course, it would have been better. Maybe that we would still have been together then."

That was something that Harry hadn't thought about, to be honest. He had been so moved – still was – by her departure that he hadn't thought about what would have happened if she hadn't left. Would they still be together?

_And what about Hermione?_, a little voice inside whispered to him.

"Don't you think?"

Ginny's voice shook him out of his torpor, and he tried to focus on her.

"Well, what is done is done; there is no need for us to think about what would have happened."

Harry started to play with his wedding ring, something that he had done unconsciously several times in the past three months. Of course, Ginny noticed it: she always noticed everything about him – everything, except his inner thoughts. This was something that Hermione was better at.

"But we can think about what can be fixed," she tried in a low voice, her hand over his in a soft gesture.

She was not as vindictive as she had been three days before, Harry noticed. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't forget the horrible things that she had said to him back them; he just couldn't.

"I'm sorry," she went on, biting her lower lip. "I'm truly sorry for what I said when I came back home, I know that I shouldn't have said all these things... _I know_. But you have to realise how hard it was for me to see you telling me that we should divorce, to see you so distant when all I wanted was to spend three amazing days with you and _our son_," she concluded, stressing the two last words of her sentence.

"Don't bring James into this mess," Harry warned her in a whisper, but inwardly, he was thinking twice about his wedding. But then, Hermione's face made an apparition in his head and he understood one thing: he couldn't do this to her.

"At least you had the opportunity to spend your weekend with James," he continued, trying to make his voice firm and straight. "I hope that you enjoyed your stay at the Burrow."

"Please, don't act like that... Don't be so distant, Harry," Ginny begged, her eyes suddenly full of tears. "I can't take it anymore, not after what I said to the team..."

She squeezed his hands harder, and when Harry looked up at her, he noticed that her head was lowered.

"What are you talking about?," he couldn't help but ask, even if he _knew_ that he shouldn't have asked her this question; it was none of his business anymore, wasn't it?

"The team's proposition," Ginny quickly added, wiping her tears with a movement of her hand. "I sent them an owl yesterday to turn it down."

"But you told me th–"

"Yes, I told you that I accepted but... Harry, you have to understand that I want to save my marriage, I want to save my _family_. It's the least that I can do after all the damage that I've done to us."

"You didn't have to do such a thing," he retorted, but didn't remove his hands from her embrace.

"Are you serious? I had to do it. It's a proof of my desire to be with you, Harry. Don't you see? I'm ready to give up my dreams to be next to you," she whispered, her hands moving from his hands to his face.

She started to caress his cheeks, while her gaze drifted to his lips.

"I don't want to lose you," she concluded in a murmur, her own lips just a few inches from his.

Her smell... Her intoxicating smell was everywhere around him, surrounding him like a spiderweb, and her red hair was making a strange dance over her shoulders. Harry frowned, trying to get rid of this odd feeling, trying to focus on _what was real_ instead of what seemed to be. What was real was the fact that Ginny had to leave late in the night, or soon in the morning after; what was real was the fact that she wouldn't be here for James in the upcoming months; what was real what that his heart was into the hands of someone else at this exact moment.

"Don't do this, Ginny," Harry said in a low voice before breaking free from her embrace. "Don't force me into a path that I don't want to follow."

"Are you seriously saying something like this even when you asked me to give up my dreams to satisfy you?," she asked in a disenchanted voice.

"I've never – ever – asked you something like this, Ginny," Harry retorted, before standing up and pacing the room. "I was mad at you when you took such important decisions on your own, but I didn't ask you to stay at home to please me."

Ginny remained silent, but Harry noticed that she was fuming inwardly. "You might as well do," she eventually said bitterly, while a last tear threatened to trace a path on her right cheek.

She stood up as well, and headed to her two suitcases.

"Aren't you staying for the night?," Harry asked, even if he perfectly knew what her answer would be.

"After being pushed away by my own husband? Well, I prefer not if you don't mind."

Harry listened to her little sobs while she headed toward the fireplace, dragging her two heavy suitcases after her. Once in the fireplace, she turned around to look at him a last time before many months.

"Now, you have at least three months to think about our situation before I come back, Harry," she said in a trembling voice, looking straight at him. "But trust me, I don't plan to agree so easily to a divorce, when both of us know that we can go through this with as little damage as possible – if you are smart enough to change your mind, of course."

Harry didn't have the opportunity to say anything back to her: she said her destination out loud a second later, and disappeared in a green smoke.

Ginny was gone – once again. But this time, he was relieved.

* * *

**31 reviews for the last chapter? Damn, I love to see that you love this story as much as I do. At this pace, this chapter should be enough to go to the 300th mark, and to have our winner of the one-shot contest! But well, if it's not, it's not a big deal. **

**To the guest who loves sending me smileys as a review: I ;) back at you. :D **

**And to everyone else: thank you so much, each review is cherished equally. **

**See you soon.**


	19. No Doubt

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

**Author's note: two updates in less than 24 hours, kudos to me! **

* * *

**Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic**

_"And it feels like I am just too close to love you_  
_ There is nothing I can really say_  
_ I can't lie no more, I can't hide no more_  
_ Got to be true to myself"_

**_Alex Clare - Too Close_**

* * *

Hermione did her best during her day at work to refrain from smiling. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't forget about the owl that she had received before leaving her flat, early in the morning.

"_Hermione, _

_Let us meet tonight, in order to celebrate your birthday. Even if I know that you are eager to see James, I prefer to keep you for myself tonight. I'll be at your flat around eight o'clock. Be ready. _

_Harry_"

There was no obvious sign of love or anything close to this in his letter, but it was enough for her. Knowing that she would spend the evening with Harry was definitely enough.

"Are you alright?"

Hermione swiftly turned around to meet Daniel's eyes.

"Oh, yes, sure. I was just lost in my thoughts."

"I can see that," he retorted with a grin, before gazing back at the book register in front of him and writing a few things on it. "Happy birthday by the way."

"Thank you. It seems that you forgot my present," she teased him.

"Are you sure?," Daniel asked.

"Well, so far, you didn't offer me anything, so... But I was kidding, I don't expect anything from you," Hermione chuckled before turning around to check the things that she needed to do the next day.

"Hold on," Daniel muttered in her back before disappearing in the reserve, making her frown. What was he thinking about?

Less than a minute later, he was in front of her, a little box in his hands, waiting for her to take it from him.

"Is it...?"

"For you, yes. Open it."

Hermione stayed still a moment or two, but eventually, she took it from Daniel's hands, mouthing a silent "thank you" at the same time. She then slowly opened the velvet box to see a pair of earrings resting on a little cushion. They were beautiful, and Hermione was almost sure that they were made of diamond, given their brightness and their small size. They were like two little droplets, hard to notice, but at the same time shinny enough for the world to see them: a paradox that fit her well.

"I don't know what to say, Daniel... It's too much, and at the same time, it's perfect," she admitted with a smile. "Thank you."

"It's the only thing that I expected you to say, don't worry," he grinned. "Do you me to hold the box while you put them on?"

"Yes, please."

Hermione kept her eyes down during all the process, and pushed her hair back to show her new earrings to Daniel.

"They are perfect on you. I hope that it's not the first gift that you received today."

"Actually it is," Hermione sighed. "I didn't have the opportunity to see my parents today, and, I'm sure that you know that I don't have a lot of friends here."

"Just a bunch of admirers the last time I checked. Me included."

"Don't be stupid," she laughed. "Anyway, this is the first gift of the day, and it's a really nice one, thank you."

"But I bet that it'll not be the last one. What about this guy that we talked about last time?"

Hermione blushed, inwardly relieved to notice that Daniel hadn't pronounce Harry's name out loud. They had avoided the subject the other day, and to be honest, she was happy not to talk about it with Daniel. Not that he wasn't a reliable person, but she was just uncomfortable with the whole situation: Harry was still married as far as she knew, and even if she was doing her best to forget about the fact that she was friend with Ginny when she was with him, it was harder to do it when he wasn't around, curiously enough.

"Daniel..."

"Don't _Daniel_ me. Even if you were planning to lie to me, your cheeks' colour says otherwise."

"Damn it, you don't need Veritaserum to make someone confess his crimes, do you?"

"I've never had to use this," he admitted with a smile. "Come on, you know that your secrets are safe with me."

Hermione looked around to see if no one was there, and eventually, she nodded.

"Alright. We are going to dine together tonight. Happy now?"

"Happy for you, I am. But I thought that he was..."

"He was...?," Hermione urged him to complete his sentence, even if she knew perfectly well what he was about to say.

"Married?" Daniel concluded in an interrogative voice, his lips pursed.

"He is," Hermione admitted before looking down at the logbook, absently reading the things that she had to do before the closing of Flourish and Blotts. "But I've never said that there's anything between us, we are just going to eat outside, that's all."

"Sure, you are. Just the both of you, and I guess that Ginny Potter is going to stay at home to look after their little James."

Daniel's voice was provocative, and Hermione swiftly looked up at him, frowning. Awkwardly enough, no one knew that Ginny was gone for her training: it was something characteristic of the Holyheads Harpies, though; no one was supposed to know about their recruits before the end of their training.

"What are you implying?"

"Nothing," he said with his hands up. "It's just weird to hear about something like that, that's all."

"Ginny is not even in London at the moment anyway, so your remark is quite inappropriate."

"Just like your dinner with a married man, don't you think?" Daniel retorted, not impressed by her attitude.

It was the first time since she slept with Harry for the first time that Hermione felt something like this: shame. She was used to be uncomfortable with the whole situation, but she hadn't been ashamed about her relationship with Harry since they realised their true feelings for each other. She was suddenly ashamed by what she was doing, and this feeling, this _hideous feeling_ was hard to control. She was overwhelmed by a wave of shame, and her face reddened in no time.

"Listen," Daniel continued after a moment of silence, burying his hand into his short hair, "I don't want to judge you, Hermione. I just want the best for you, and I just think that you are the one who are going to lose everything in the end if he decided to stay with her. The man, your friendship with his wife, your reputation... I just want you to think about it," he concluded in a whisper, his large hand over her right forearm.

"Things are not as easy as you think they are," Hermione whispered back, before taking a few deep breaths to calm her down.

Of course, things weren't as easy as Daniel thought they were, were they? Ginny wasn't here any longer, and Harry... Well, Harry knew perfectly well who he wanted to be with, didn't he? He had even said it to her the previous week. He had _hope_, hope that, soon, they would be together, soon, he would divorce from Ginny and begin anew with her.

"I know that you just want to protect me, but, please, Daniel, don't interfere in my life anymore. I like you but... I'm sorry to say it like that, but you don't know me at all. What you read in the newspapers about me, about Harry or Ginny, all of this is far from the truth. So please, let's not talk about this anymore."

Daniel stared at her during long seconds, and eventually, he nodded.

"Alright. But just take care of you, Hermione. I know that I don't know you personally, but I care for you. I would hate to see you hurt by _anybody_."

"It won't happen," Hermione sighed. "I won't let it happen."

**XxX**

An hour after her arrival at her flat, Hermione was ready for the evening to come. She had put on a long Empire style ruby dress, with a pair of high black heels. Even with them, she was sure that Harry was still taller than she was, despite the fact that he wasn't here yet.

At the same moment, someone knocked at the door.

"Speaking of the devil," she mumbled before heading toward the entrance door.

When she opened the door, Harry took a step toward her and kissed her gently on the lips, his hands on her waist.

"Happy birthday," he muttered against her lips before kissing them once again.

"Thank you," Hermione whispered back, still surprised to be kissed by her friend. She knew that it would be a part of her life from now on, but it was still a shock to have Harry's lips on hers, after more than fourteen years of plain friendship.

"Are you ready?" he then asked her, his hand still caressing her hip.

"Yes, we can leave right now if you want. Just let me close the door behind us."

"Give me your hand," Harry then asked her when the door was closed.

"Are we going to Apparate?"

"Of course. The usual way," the green-eyed wizard grinned. "We did it together several times when we were young."

"Yes, I remember," Hermione smiled. "The good old times."

"They weren't always good," Harry retorted while absently caressing her forearm, at the exact place where an unwanted tattoo was supposed to be seen, under the glamour spell that she had to cast every morning. They were supposed not to talk about it since the "_incident_", like they used to call it, afraid to put another word on it.

Hermione simply nodded, before giving him her hand.

"Let's go, shall we?"

"Your wish is my command, Milady."

"I can get use to this nickname, you know?"

"But you'll always be Hermione to me."

"Just Hermione?" she teased him, trying to hide her smile as much as she could.

"I'm sure that I'll find you other nicknames with time passing by," Harry smiled at her. "But for now, your hand, Milady."

They Apparated in a deserted alley of London, and, to Hermione's surprise, Harry surrounded her waist with his arm in a casual way.

"Is it safe?" Hermione asked, noticing how incongruous her question was.

"No one is going to notice us, just relax. Moreover, it's your birthday, you shouldn't worry about things like that. Just enjoy the moment," he told her before kissing the corner of her lips.

It was a Muggle restaurant, of course, and one of the most famous of London to top it all.

"You didn't do things by halves," Hermione remarked while she sat on her chair.

"I just want you to enjoy the moment," Harry repeated, smiling. "How was your day?"

"Good, as good as it can be at Flourish and Blotts."

"Why are you still working for this man? I mean, you know that I can help you to open your store anytime."

"I know, and you know that I don't want your money," Hermione retorted, her hands on the menu of the restaurant. "I plan to do it one day, but not now. Actually, I have a few options that I need to consider."

"Such as?"

"I guess that you know this guy that I'm working with? Daniel Gathy. I'm sure that you saw him a few times already."

"What about him?" Harry asked, his attention turned to her.

"Well, he asked me to open a shop with him. I don't know what to think about it to be honest. It could be a good idea, but at the same, I don't know him much, so... I have to think about it."

"And you'd prefer to open a shop with a stranger instead of me?" Harry asked, his eyebrow raised.

"It's not what I said," Hermione shook her head. "You're an Auror, Harry, it's your work. You're not a bookseller, far from it. I just don't want you to give me some money to begin my dream, when both of us know that it's not _your dream_."

"It's my dream to see you happy, Hermione. Well, it's sound exaggerated, and it surely is, but there is a part of truth in this statement. And if helping you to open your store can make you happy, I'd gladly do it."

Hermione nodded, knowing that when Harry had something in mind, it was hard to make him think otherwise.

"It's an idea... I'll think about it, and be sure that you'll be the first one to know what my decision will be."

"I count on you," Harry said before opening the menu.

The evening passed too quickly, and at the end of the dinner, she realised that she hadn't talked about something important in her eyes.

"You didn't tell me about Ginny's departure," she said before ending her glass of white wine.

Harry swallowed hard before doing the same with his own glass.

"It didn't end very well," he admitted. "She left without even giving me the opportunity to tell her that it was really over. I have the feeling that she thinks that a reconciliation is still a possibility."

"Is it?" Hermione couldn't help but ask, despite what Harry just said.

"Of course not," he interjected quickly, looking around to see that the restaurant was almost empty. There was just another couple a few tables from them. "Please, don't doubt my words, Hermione," he continued with a hand over hers. "I mean every word that I've told you since the first time we... since the moment I realised that you were the one, Hermione."

The young woman blinked several times, trying to push back these memories of her discussion with Daniel.

"I don't want you to think that you're just some kind of stopgap, someone that I use to make me feel good when Ginny is not in town. You're definitely more than this," he went on, squeezing her hand into his. "Believe me, Hermione."

"Of course, I believe you," she sighed. "Of course, I do... It's just... It's not an easy situation we're in, you know?"

"I agree. Damn, we weren't supposed to talk about things like that, it's your birthday for Merlin's sake."

"Don't worry about it," Hermione chuckled. "I'm sure that you're going to make up for it tonight..."

"How do you know?" Harry finally smiled before kissing her hand.

"Are you?" she asked, not paying attention to his question.

"Let's leave this place," he muttered, and at the tone of his voice, Hermione knew that the second part of her birthday night would be even better than the first one.

* * *

**Amortentia? Not Amortentia? Well, I guess that we should wait before knowing the truth behind this.** **But one thing is sure: Harry loved Ginny once, and it was real. **

**In the mean time, we are going to read more about Hermione, Harry and James. **

**Thank you for reading this story. :)**

**PS: Don't forget that the author of the 300th review can have the one-shot that he/she wants!**


	20. A Decision To Make

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

* * *

**Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic**

"_The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward._"

**Amelia Earhart**

* * *

Twenty days had passed since Hermione's birthday, and since then, her relationship with Harry hadn't changed drastically. They still used to see each other as often as possible, but Hermione had insisted to spend more time with James instead of seeing Harry alone.

"Why?," the green-eyed wizard has asked, visibly confused.

"I want him to know me better," she had explained. "I know that we are not going to move in together anytime soon, but it would be better if..."

"You're right," Harry had interrupted her, relieved to know that it was for this reason. "You're definitely right, you have to spend more time with James. Moreover, I've got the feeling that my little boy is quite fond of you."

"And what about his father? Is he fond of me too?"

"He's quite fond of you too, yes."

They had kissed, and during the next days, Hermione had spent more time with James. Sometimes, she was just looking after him when she had a day off, giving Harry some time to do the grocery shopping or to go to the Ministry in order to see if everything was alright during his absence. At one and a half years old, James was one of the easier babies that Hermione had ever seen – not that she had had the opportunity to look after a lot of them to be honest, but her cousins' children weren't as easy as James.

And to top it all, Harry had been alright: James was fond of her. He was always eager to be in her arms, and was doing his best to pronounce her name. But while "dad" was easy to say, "Hermione" was a real challenge for him. "Mini" was the closest thing to her name that he could say, and it was enough for Hermione. Of course, Harry was making fun of her new nickname, but it didn't bother her: to know that she was a part of James' life was already more than she had dreamed of.

Harry was currently searching into his jacket's pocket to see if he had any change left to go and buy a few things for James.

"Do you need some help?," Hermione asked, James wrapping up in a towel into her arms, his body still humid after his bath.

"Got it," Harry answered with a smile before bending over to kiss her on the cheek and doing the same with James. When James was here, Harry always kissed her on the cheek, and always avoided her lips. It was for the best, since none of them wanted to disturb Harry's son further; his mother's absence was still a vivid memory, and they didn't want to add further fuel to the fire.

"See you later then," Hermione said before taking James' little hand into her own to wave at Harry. "Say goodbye, Jamie."

"Babababa," Jamie said, visibly amused by his father's departure.

"You can definitely do better than that," Hermione chuckled while looking at Harry disappeared through the entrance door.

She then took advantage of this moment alone with James to dress him, and to keep him busy until Harry's return. It was already early in the evening, and she hoped that there was something in the fridge for tonight. Otherwise, she would have to order Chinese food or pizzas, something that she wasn't really fond of.

When the doorbell rang, Hermione frowned, while James stopped playing with his bunch of toys. He raised his arms, not wanting to be left alone in his room, and Hermione sighed before taking him into her arms.

"I thought that you could walk, buddy," she joked and kissed his forehead. "Let's see who wants to talk to your father at this time of the day."

When she opened the door, she wasn't sure who was the more surprised between her and the woman at the doorstep. When she had seen her red hair, she had thought that Ginny was back, but it wasn't her; it was Molly Weasley.

"Hermione?," the Weasley matriarch said, visibly surprised to see her here.

Hermione held James closer, and tried to smile.

"Molly... I didn't expect to see you here. I guess that you want to talk to Harry..."

"Yes," she simply said, her eyes focused on James. "I want to talk to Harry, and of course, I want to spend some time with my grandson."

"Harry isn't here at the moment," Hermione explained before taking a step back when she realised that Molly wanted to enter. "But I suppose that you can stay until he comes back."

"It was my main idea, thank you," Molly retorted with a fake smile, and stretched out her arms to urge Hermione to give her James. "Come on, I missed him so much."

Hermione carefully closed the door and hesitated a second or two before handing James to Molly. Without another word for Hermione, Molly headed to the living room, and the young woman hoped that she wouldn't see too many things belonging to her in the room; during the last days, she had bought a few things to Harry's house, sometimes without even thinking about it, just wanting to have the necessary things to get ready in the morning if she spent the night here. Fortunately, her possessions were mostly in the bathroom and Harry's bedroom.

"What are you doing here by the way?," Molly asked, and Hermione could almost here the glimpse of suspicion in her voice.

"Harry asked me to... to look after James this afternoon. He had a few things to do."

"He could have asked me to do it. I'm sure that you are a busy woman who doesn't have a lot of time for yourself."

Molly Weasley wasn't Hermione's biggest fan since her break-up with Ron. Truth to be told, she had said a thousand time that, after all, Hermione wasn't made for her son, and even that she wasn't good enough for him. Until now, the young woman had tried to stay away from her, knowing that she wasn't welcome at her house any longer, despite the fact that Ron and her were in – almost – good terms at the moment, even if they didn't see each other often. Molly had been quite surprised to know that Hermione had been invited at Harry and Ginny's house for a dinner around Christmas last year, but she had done her best not to show it in front of her own children.

"Actually, it's my day off," Hermione explained. "Do you want something to drink?"

"No, thank you. I'm just going to spend a few moments with my grandson, if you don't mind."

At her tone, Hermione understood that she wasn't supposed to be _here_. James seemed to be calm on Molly's lap, and she decided to give them some intimacy."

"Alright. I'm just going to clean James' room a bit, he made quite a mess this afternoon."

Molly nodded, not even looking at her, and Hermione left the living room with a sigh.

The Weasleys' matriarch was – with Ginny – the last person that she had expected to see today. Almost a month had passed since Ginny's second departure, and Harry hadn't told her anything about Molly's reaction. Of course, she was aware of her daughter's marital problems since Ginny had spent three nights at the Burrow. But her opinion about it was unknown – at least until today.

Ten minutes after Molly's arrival, Hermione heard the entrance door opened, and Harry's voice echoed into the corridor.

"Damn, I should have taken an umbrella with me," he said aloud. "Unexpected rain is the worst..."

From where she was, Hermione heard his voice died out, and the reason of this sudden silence was clear: he was in front of Molly Weasley.

**XxX**

"Molly... To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Harry headed to the kitchen bar, and put James' food on it. Where was Hermione? And why Molly was here? When he turned around to look at this unexpected guest, he could see that Ginny's mother was smiling, James' on her lap.

"I came to see you, of course. And to see James too. It's been a while."

"Where is Hermione?"

"She's in James' room," Molly answered, her lips pursed as if she didn't want to talk about it. "Why is she here anyway? I mean, I'm James' grandmother, I'm the one who should look after him when you're not here."

Harry almost let out a laugh. It wasn't a funny situation, but Molly's voice was laughable; she seemed to be truly offended by Hermione's presence at his house, along with not being the one to look after James.

"Look, it wasn't prepared, and I didn't think that you would be available," the green-eyed wizard explained, doing his best to keep calm.

"I'm always available for James. Moreover, Ginny asked me to look after him, so I don't think that she would be pleased to know that you ask _other women_ to do it _at her house_ when she's not present."

"What am I supposed to understand here? Is it a threat or something?" Harry asked, frowning. If Molly was here to talk to him about her daughter's feelings, he wouldn't do her the honour to hear her rants.

"It's not a _threat_," Molly shook her head. "I'm just giving you my opinion about this situation. You are married, Harry, and it's not a good idea to be seen with women like... with other women," she swiftly corrected.

"Hermione is my friend since I'm eleven," Harry retorted. "And as far as I'm concerned, this is a problem between Ginny and I. I don't know what she told you about our marriage, but you obviously don't know everything about it, Molly. So please, let me life my life as I intend to."

Molly got up from the couch, James still in her arms, and she proudly lifted her chin to meet Harry's intense gaze.

"I know _a lot_ about your marriage, Harry. And I also know that my daughter will do everything in her power to show you how devoted to your relationship, to _your family_ she is. I just want to tell you not to give up. I know how much you want a family, and I agree that the situation isn't optimal at the moment but... Ginny is so scared to lose you, I can read it in her letters. She is afraid to realise that you moved on with another woman, and that's the reason why I want to warn you, even if I'm sure that you're not like that... Don't give her the occasion to doubt about your fidelity toward her because it will ruin any effort that she is ready to make to win your heart back."

Harry didn't say a word, and he simply walked toward Molly to take James from her arms. Slightly confused by his reaction, Molly didn't prevent him from doing so, and looked straight at him, as if she was waiting for a nod, for anything that could calm her down.

"I don't have the intention to let her win my heart back or something close to it," Harry calmly said. "I'm sorry to say it so abruptly, Molly, but Ginny and I... we are over. _Definitely over_. It's not even about her departure, even if I have to admit that it has a lot to do with my decision. It's just that I realised that we aren't made for each other, despite what you seem to think. Ginny didn't want to have a family with _me_. She wanted to have a family with _Harry Potter_. I'm just sorry to not have seen it earlier."

"You can't say such things...," Molly whispered, shaking her head at a slow pace, visibly not realising what Harry was saying to her. "She told her Quidditch team that she didn't want to sign for a three-years contract _for you_!"

"And I'm sure that they would hire her back if she says that she wants to accept their offer. Ginny is a clever woman, I have no doubt about her capacity to get round them. But please, Molly, don't interfere anymore in my life."

The Weasleys' matriarch blushed crimson, and for the first time, Harry realised that he dared to stand up to Molly Weasley. For the first time, he was acting like he should have acted years ago.

"I'll drop James off at the Burrow for a few hours next week if you want to spend some time with your grandson," he went on, clearly urging Molly to leave his house if she had nothing more to say.

She eventually moved toward the entrance door, and one or two minutes after her departure without another word, Harry put James into his playpen and started to look for Hermione. Had she left?

"Hermione?"

"I'm here," a shy voice came from James' room, and he almost sighed in relief: if she had been in James' room during all this time, she couldn't have heard any of his discussion with Molly since the room was charmed.

But when he saw her expression, he wasn't so sure of himself.

"Did you...?" he began, not daring to finish his question.

"I heard," Hermione nodded.

"But the room is charmed, James is not supposed to hear anything... I just made it sure that Ginny and I could hear everything."

"You should have worked harder at school," Hermione chuckled. "This kind of spell just works on children. You didn't have to make an exception for you and Ginny since you would have been able to hear everything outside this room anyway."

Harry raised a surprised eyebrow.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive, Mr Potter," Hermione let out in a breath.

"I didn't want you to hear this discussion," Harry said, his hand buried into his untamed hair. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Hermione said before looking at her feet, uncomfortable. "It's not your fault after all."

Molly's words about an _other woman _echoed into Harry's head, and he took a step toward Hermione, cupping her face into his hands.

"I don't want you to overthink what Molly said," he urged her, his lips against her forehead. "She knows nothing."

"She's not totally wrong," Hermione softly interjected.

"She knows nothing," Harry repeated. "I'm going to see a lawyer tomorrow," he said out of nowhere, taking her by surprise.

"_Excuse me?_"

Hermione tried to get free from his embrace, but Harry put his hands on her waist.

"I'm going to see a lawyer," he said again. "I need to know what I have to do in order to divorce from Ginny. This situation is hard to live for everyone."

Her face against his chest, Hermione almost stopped breathing. Was it real? Have Harry really said this?

"Are you sure?" she whispered, slightly moving to look up at him.

Harry raised her chin with his right hand and put a soft kiss on her lips.

"Positive, Miss Granger."

* * *

_And here it is, another chapter... We passed the 300th review, and I'm currently working on a one-shot with/for **Daydreamer230**. I'm quite excited about it to be honest. _

_Moreover, I've posted a new story called **A Sky Full Of Stars**, and... it's an Harmony one! So don't hesitate to check it and to let me know what you think, folks._

_As usual, thank you for your always positive words, it means the world to me, really. I often read your reviews when I don't know where to begin a new chapter, and it helps, trust me!_ **_You are awesome! _**

_See you soon! _


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